House passes TikTok ban as part of foreign aid package, Senate passage likely

The House of Representatives voted 360-58 to pass a massive foreign aid package that includes a ban on TikTok if Chinese company ByteDance doesn't divest from the app within a year.

The TikTok ban has been discussed for months due to the app's massive collection of data that can be accessed by the Chinese Communist Party.

This means that TikTok is a national security liability, something evidenced by the fact that it has already been banned from federal devices.

ByteDance is expected to fight this legislation meaning that there could be a years-long court battle ahead before TikTok is banned or ByteDance is forced to sell to a non-Chinese company.

Furthermore, ByteDance has spent millions to campaign against the ban, and without the ban being inserted into the larger aid package, it may have never have happened.

This story is far from over and will likely play out over the years. The interesting part is that both Republicans and Democrats supported banning TikTok, which raises questions about why a historically ineffectual Congress suddenly decided to come together on what is otherwise a niche legislative issue.