New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand became the latest lawmaker to come out in favor of a potential TikTok ban.
“As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I am deeply concerned about the national security concerns posed by TikTok, whose parent company, ByteDance, is under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party,” Gillibrand told The Post — adding that she was “strongly” in favor of a House bill that would force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban from operating in the United States.
“I am encouraged that the House passed this bill with overwhelming bipartisan support and I hope we can pass it in the Senate,” she said, noting the app posed “serious concerns about the Chinese Communist Party’s ability to influence and divide the American people.”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) have also come out strongly in favor of the bill.
Gillibrand is the latest in a growing bipartisan chorus of senators who are demanding a vote on the legislation.
The decision on whether to take up the measure rests with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who has been cagey about his plans for the bill.
Earlier this week the White House urged the chamber to take “swift action” on the bill, which President Biden has promised to sign.
Schumer has in the past expressed support for measures like the House bill.
“A US company should buy TikTok so everyone can keep using it and your data is safe,” he wrote in an X post from 2020. “This is about privacy. With TikTok in China, it’s subject to Chinese Communist Party laws that may require handing over data to their government. A safe way must be found for TikTok to continue.”