WASHINGTON — The Senate is set to vote on progress on Tuesday A $95 billion aid package A provision that could provide critical aid to Ukraine and carry it nationwide A ban on TikTok.
The package passed by the House of Representatives on Saturday includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, which President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would give to his country.chance of victory“Against Russia. This includes $26 billion in aid to Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza, in addition to $8 billion for security in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region.
That would give TikTok’s China-based parent company nine months, which the president could extend for up to a year, to sell the popular social media platform or face a US ban. cannot be banned until later 2024 election.
There will be no final vote on the bill in the Senate on Tuesday. But it will be a key indicator of whether the legislation has enough support to make it to President Joe Biden’s desk.
On Tuesday afternoon, senators will discuss whether they can reach an agreement to vote quickly to pass the bill the same day or wait until Wednesday to approve it.
“The finish line is now in sight,” Senate Majority Leader D.N.Y. said in a statement over the weekend, saying the passage of the bill would be “a turning point for the defense of democracy.”
Two months ago, The Senate voted 70-29 passing a similar $95 billion foreign aid package — but without the TikTok provision.
Still, there are signs that the Senate has passed the House’s revised TikTok ban bill.
Commerce Committee Chairwoman Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., approved the new bill, saying she was “very happy” that TikTok was sold. An earlier House bill would have given the parent company six months to sell TikTok. Cantwell noted that he recommended the change.
“I support this updated legislation,” he said.
Proponents of banning the app in the US have expressed concerns about TikTok’s ties to Beijing-based ByteDance, downplaying the prospect that Americans’ data could be accessed by the Chinese government under Chinese law, where TikTok is headquartered. Singapore and Los Angeles. They also claim that China may have manipulated the algorithm to promote propaganda.
A TikTok spokesperson responded to the House vote over the weekend: “Unfortunately, the House is again blocking a bill that tramples on the free speech of 170 people using important foreign and humanitarian aid. million Americans, devastates 7 million businesses and shuts down a platform that contributes $24 billion annually to the US economy.
A source at TikTok said in a memo sent after the House passed the bill that Biden would “take to the courts for a legal challenge” after signing the bill.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has been lobbying his colleagues to reject the package, saying 41 senators could come together to support the package.
“The $95 billion bill does not need to pass. Only 41 senators are enough to stop this,” Lee said He wrote in X. “There are 49 Republicans in the Senate – that’s more than enough. Where are your senators?”
Savannah Dealers contributed.