FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 19, 2024
Contact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343
Sens. Paul and Markey Urge President Biden to Extend TikTok Divestment Deadline
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to provide TikTok owner ByteDance with a 90-day extension to either sell TikTok or face a ban in the United States, as authorized by the Protecting Americans Data from Foreign Adversaries Act. The lawmakers urged the Biden administration to trigger the 90-day extension before January 19, the deadline by which ByteDance must either divest TikTok or face a ban. On January 10, the U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments to consider whether the law violates the First Amendment.
In the letter, the senators wrote,
“The stakes here are high: As a practical matter, even if the Court rules that the law is constitutional by the January deadline, ByteDance cannot divest TikTok in that limited time. Consequently, absent a judicial injunction, decision overturning the law, or action by you, TikTok will soon be banned in the United States, causing its creators and users serious hardship.”
Read the letter HERE.
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