On Wednesday, the House passed a bipartisan bill that would ban the social media platform TikTok from the United States unless its Chinese parent company, Byte Dance, sells it. The bill, which passed on a 352-65 vote, now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain future within that chamber. However, should it pass, President Joe Biden has indicated that he will sign it into law.
TikTok has become a dominant social media platform among younger audiences in the U.S., surpassing homegrown rivals such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and Snapchat. A potential ban could be heavily impactful for the U.S. economy, with brands flocking to the platform in recent years to find consumers.
The cable news outlets all covered the news of the passage of the TikTok bill, which broke around 10:39 a.m. ET. Most of them also have a significant presence on the social media platform.
At MSNBC, the news broke during Ana Cabrera Reports, where reporter Julie Tsirkin talked about how Congressman Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee in the House, gave his reasoning for voting against the bill. Meanwhile, Congressman (D) Jeff Jackson from North Carolina voted yes despite having a significant presence on TikTok.
BREAKING: The House passes a bill that could ban TikTok in the U.S. by a vote of 352-65 with one member voting present.@JulieNBCNews has the latest. pic.twitter.com/m6mhJBVUD8
— MSNBC Reports (@MSNBC_reports) March 13, 2024
On CNN, the news broke during CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta, where Manu Raju, CNN’s chief congressional correspondent, noted the political minefield Biden could encounter during an election should he sign the bill.
When news of its passage broke, NewsNation’s Washington correspondent Elina Shirazi was conducting a live interview with GOP Ohio congressman Bob Latta, the bill’s co-sponsor. Latta said the bill was to protect against TikTok as a national security issue, with the measure keeping citizens and their information safe.
On CNBC, Squawk on the Street spoke to Dan Ives, a Wedbush Securities Analyst who elaborated on the ramifications and fallout should the bill become law.
Fox News covered the update on the TikTok bill during America’s Newsroom with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino. Additionally, the bill’s passage broke on Fox Business during Varney and Company, with host Stuart Varney discussing the news with his panelists.