Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today commented on an overwhelming vote in the House of Representatives to force the sale of TikTok to a company not controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

“This is a very close issue and I do not take lightly any adverse action toward a service that is used by over half of all Americans,” said Congressman Pascrell. “But the United States has a right to regulate a social media company controlled by the hostile Chinese authoritarian regime that exercises broad power over American discourse and popular culture. Just as we would not accept the Soviet Union to control CNN or other major American news source, we cannot allow the Chinese Community Party to control an outlet with even more daily viewers. There is no question in my mind the Chinese Communist Party can and will use TikTok’s power to influence our elections. I want to note clearly: this legislation would not ‘ban’ TikTok. If it becomes law, TikTok’s parent company would be free to sell the app and make untold billions of dollars. That the Chinese Communist Party is refusing to take the money says a lot about their motives and their intentions.”