ISLAMABAD: Three Democratic senators on Monday called on the White House to seek congressional authorization to extend the deadline for ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, to sell the app and prevent a potential U.S. ban.
In January, former President Donald Trump unilaterally extended the original January 19 deadline to April 5 by postponing enforcement of a law requiring ByteDance to divest a majority stake to U.S. owners. Trump has since suggested he may extend the deadline further to facilitate a deal.
Senators Ed Markey, Chris Van Hollen, and Cory Booker criticized the delay, calling it “unlawful” and urging the president to support legislation extending the deadline to October. “The path to saving TikTok should run through Capitol Hill,” they wrote.
Potential Deal to Keep TikTok in the U.S.
According to sources cited by Reuters, White House-led discussions are focusing on a plan for ByteDance’s largest non-Chinese investors to increase their stakes and acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations. This would involve spinning off a U.S. entity for TikTok and reducing Chinese ownership to avoid a ban.
The app, which has 170 million American users, has faced ongoing scrutiny over national security concerns, with lawmakers worried that Beijing could use TikTok to influence U.S. affairs.
The senators also pressed the White House to clarify its stance on the deadline extension and to confirm reports that the administration is considering a deal in which Oracle would take a stake in TikTok and oversee data security.
Trump recently stated that his administration is in talks with four unnamed groups about a potential TikTok agreement, though details remain unclear.
The White House and TikTok have not yet responded to requests for comment.
