Lawmakers call on Biden to extend TikTok ban deadline
Biden could extend deadline by 90 days if he certifies ByteDance is making progress to divestiture
January 14, 2025
WASHINGTON: Two Democratic lawmakers on Monday called on Congress and President Joe Biden to extend the January 19 deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest its US TikTok operations or risk an outright ban in the United States.
The Supreme Court heard arguments on Friday regarding TikTok and ByteDance's legal challenge to the ruling. Noel Francisco, representing the companies, argued that meeting the looming deadline for a sale would be "impossible."
He said if banned, the short video app used by 170 million Americans would quickly go dark and "essentially the platform shuts down."
Biden could extend the deadline by 90 days if he certifies ByteDance is making substantial progress toward a divestiture but it is unlikely ByteDance could meet that standard.
Senator Edward Markey said he planned to introduce legislation to delay the deadline by which ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban by an additional 270 days.
"A ban would dismantle a one-of-a-kind informational and cultural ecosystem, silencing millions in the process," Markey said Monday.
"A TikTok ban would impose serious consequences on millions of Americans who depend on the app for social connections and their economic livelihood. We cannot allow that to happen."
President-elect Donald Trump has asked the court to delay implementation of the law, arguing he should have time after taking office on Jan. 20 to pursue a "political resolution" to the issue.
Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat, on Monday urged Biden and Trump "to put a pause on this ban so 170 million Americans don't lose their free speech. Millions of Americans' livelihood will be ended if this ban takes place."
If the court does not block the law by Sunday, new downloads of TikTok on Apple AAPL.O or Google GOOGL.O app stores would be banned but existing users could continue to access the app for some period. Services would degrade and eventually stop working as companies will be barred from providing support.
The White House did not immediately comment.
