In an interview with Fox News Digital, Pence voiced his concerns, stating, "I am concerned that this vitally important national security measure could be caught up in the delays in the United States Senate and ultimately be lost in the fog of presidential politics." He was referring to the anticipated November election, which is predicted to be a fiercely contested rematch between former President Trump and President Biden.
Pence's organization, Advancing American Freedom, is leading a campaign to pass a bill through Congress that would mandate TikTok to disinvest from Bytedance, a Chinese-owned company, or face a ban in the U.S. The campaign includes a multimillion-dollar ad buy in Washington, D.C., and several states, with the aim of pressuring Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other key senators to ensure the bill's passage.
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The $2 million ad campaign was launched in the nation's capital on Sunday. Pence revealed to Fox News Digital that the campaign would also be rolled out "in a number of states around the country," including Montana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. He said, "We'll be not only calling on people to call Schumer, but also to call the relevant Democrat senators in those states to urge them also to step forward in support of forcing the sale of TikTok and bringing this matter to the floor to a vote and to final passage."
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According to Pence, TikTok "represents a profound compromise of the privacy of millions of Americans and creates an opportunity for the Chinese Communist Party to collect data on tens of millions of Americans that could be exploited in the future." He further noted that it is "perhaps even more perilous" that TikTok has managed to establish an "unprecedented, propaganda platform for an adversarial nation in the United States."
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Pence's concern about the bill's swift passage is rooted in his own experience in Congress. He said, "My concern, having spent 12 years in the House of Representatives, is that not a whole lot gets done after Memorial Day during a presidential election year." However, he emphasized that the urgency of TikTok's data collection and its ties to China cannot be deferred.
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The bill, proposed by House China Select Committee Chair Mike Gallagher and ranking member Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, passed the lower chamber with a bipartisan vote of 352-65. Upon reaching the Senate, it was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, rather than being fast-tracked for floor consideration as some had hoped.
Pence revealed that he had discussed the bill and its trajectory in the Senate with Gallagher, who had informed him that Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell's staff was "engaging in a constructive way," despite potential concerns about her control over the bill's fate.
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Reports from Politico last month revealed that several of Cantwell's former staffers are now lobbying for TikTok, raising questions about the senator's role in overseeing the bill's progress. TikTok did not provide a comment to Fox News Digital.
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The legislation's timeline in the Senate remains unclear, with many senators warning that bills often take longer in the Senate than in the House. However, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner disputed this, citing the bill's swift passage in the House and its national security implications. "I wouldn't accept the premise that there's a default to a long process," he told Fox News Digital.
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Sen. Josh Hawley accused external lobbying efforts of stalling the bill in the Senate, claiming that the bill's referral to the committee was an attempt to "kill it." He suggested, "Just put a sign right there on the door that says ‘Property of Big Tech.’"
Cantwell has indicated her intention to hold public hearings on the proposed bill, in addition to a markup. Sen. Ted Cruz, ranking member of the Commerce Committee, expressed approval of this possibility, as a frequent advocate of returning to regular order in Congress.
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