The bipartisan effort to force TikTok to divest from its Chinese-owned parent company contained a major Democratic sweetener — which could have far-reaching implications for the 2024 presidential election.
The bill, which passed last week as part of a pivotal $95 billion foreign-aid package, allows TikTok nine months to part ways with Chinese-based owner ByteDance or face a ban in the United States.
That timeframe is extendable up to a year at the discretion of the president.
While TikTok foes hailed the success, the long runaway ensures that Democrats will be able to use the platform as it is currently constituted for the November elections.
Democrats have long relied on TikTok outreach to mobilize younger voters.
Team Biden regularly engages with an army of TiKTok and other social-media influencers to spread messages.
The Biden campaign TikTok account, Biden-Harris HQ, has more than 300,000 followers.
An earlier version of the TikTok bill which passed the House, but stalled in the Senate — only allowed for six months and would have forced the issue before November.
Critics said Democrats will capitalize on the change.
“They will utilize it as a political tool. It is very helpful to [Democrats],” said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, (R-NJ). “There are millions of young people who go on it and are very faithful to it.
“They wanted to get that extra bite at the apple. There is no reason they couldn’t divest within six months.”
A second GOP congressman offered “a theory that some may call conspiracy . . . that Joe Biden wants his Chinese friends who influence ByteDance to have a November opportunity to help him out.”
Other House insiders closer to negotiations said the real issue lay in the Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — who publicly signaled his support for a TikTok ban — faced headwinds from Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wa.)
The powerful chair of the Senate Commerce Committee had jurisdiction over TikTok in the Senate and had been reportedly causing issues. In a statement, Cantwell publicly took credit for extending the window.
“I’m very happy that Speaker Johnson and House leaders incorporated my recommendation to extend the ByteDance divestment period from six months to a year. As I’ve said, extending the divestment period is necessary to ensure there is enough time for a new buyer to get a deal done. I support this updated legislation,” she said last week.