Speaker Johnson Backs 'TikTok Bill' Ahead Of Committee Markup

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has endorsed legislation which could force Chinese company Bytedance to divest the social media company TikTok or face a US ban ahead of a meeting of the House Energy and Commerce Committee where members will receive a national security briefing before marking up the bill this evening.

• Johnson: “I support the bill being marked up by the Energy & Commerce committee. It’s an important bipartisan measure to take on China, our largest geopolitical foe, which is actively undermining our economy and security.”
• The national security briefing will get underway at 10:00 ET 15:00 GMT and hear witness testimony from Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Justice (DOJ), and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) officials. LIVESTREAM
• The bill markup is expected at 19:00 ET 00:00 GMT this evening - a quick turnaround for the legislation, which was drafted with support from the White House, but only unveiled this week.
• Punchbowl News notes that turning the bill into law will be a heavy lift despite bipartisan support: “There are First Amendment concerns, as well as a general hesitancy to disrupt an app that’s exceedingly popular with young voters during an election year. TikTok has an estimated 170 million users each month in the United States alone.”