WASHINGTON — House lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that would lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok if Chinese-owned company ByteDance doesn't divest itself of the social media platform within six months.
Four of Kentucky’s five Republican House members voted for the bill.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Crescent Springs, was the lone exception, voting "no" along with Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville.
Massie led the opposition Wednesday on the House floor. He said it was a well-intentioned bill that could have negative consequences.
“Some of us just don’t want the president picking which apps we can put on our phones or which websites that we can visit,” Massie said. “We wouldn’t let another country take over Ford Motor Company for selling Ford cars in their country, yet that’s what we’re wanting to do here.”
At the urging of TikTok, lawmakers were inundated with calls telling them to vote against the measure.
Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Bowling Green, said some calls even came from students in classrooms where teachers could be heard in the background.
He and the rest of the House Energy and Commerce committee approved the bill last week.
“I can’t imagine how kids are doing that with teachers not being aware of this, but that was going on yesterday,” Guthrie said Friday. “We’re not banning TikTok. What we’re saying is, the Communist Party of China has to divest itself of TikTok.”
After the vote Wednesday, Rep. Andy Barr, R-Lexington, said he believes the bill is constitutional.
“This bill does not violate the First Amendment,” Barr said. “It does not violate our sacred principle of freedom of speech. This is a national security law that is in the best interest of the American people.”
McGarvey, who appeared in several TikTok videos during his time as a Kentucky state senator, said in a statement he supports protecting national security and Americans’ data, but he’s never seen a bill with this much impact move so quickly.
“It is unrealistic to expect a company like this could be sold in 180 days, and I am not confident the provisions of this bill would survive a First Amendment challenge,” McGarvey said in a statement.
In a post on the social media platform X Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., called the legislation “a disturbing gift of unprecedented authority to President Biden and the Surveillance State.”
At last check, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had not yet commented on the bill.