The House of Representatives will take action on the legislation on TikTok, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Sunday, just days after CEO Shou Zi Chew was grilled by lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the social media app used by more than 150 million Americans.
It is very concerning that the CEO of TikTok can't be honest and admit what we already know to be true - China has access to TikTok user data, McCarthy, R-Calif, tweeted on Sunday morning.
For months, lawmakers have been raising alarms about TikTok, which is owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance. Some U.S. officials have argued that TikTok is required to turn over data to the Chinese government because of the country's national security laws.
On Friday, Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., asked Chew whether ByteDance had spied on American citizens. Chew responded that I don't think that spying is the right way to describe it.
At another point in the hearing, Chew didn't answer Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, when asked repeatedly if employees at ByteDance had access to Americans' user data, calling it a complex issue. Legislation has been introduced in both chambers of Congress regarding TikTok.
Senators introduced a bill earlier this month with the White House backing that would give President Biden the ability to ban TikTok and other technology platforms owned by foreign adversaries.
In December, two House lawmakers introduced a bill that would ban all financial transactions from the popular social media app.
The Treasury Department's Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which has been in discussions with TikTok since 2019, demanded last week that ByteDance divest its stake in the app or face a possible ban.
Dozens of governors across the U.S. have already banned the app on state-owned devices.
The Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young sent a memo to federal agencies in late February instructing them to develop a plan from all government devices and systems within 30 days.
TikTok did not respond to a request for comment on Sunday.