Despite Trump's Objections, Republicans In US House Of Representatives Determined To Continue TikTok's Prohibition Bill

US House Speaker Mike Johnson (photo: x @SpeakerJohnson)

JAKARTA - Republicans in the US House of Representatives are determined to proceed with a vote plan to ban social media app TikTok, despite former US President Donald Trump's objections to the move.

On Tuesday, March 12, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that legislation targeting ByteDance's Chinese ownership on TikTok will be brought to the council on Wednesday, March 13. Both Republicans and Democrats view TikTok as a national security risk for the United States.

The bill will give ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, about six months to relinquish ownership of the app, which is used by about 170 million people in the United States.

Although Trump has expressed his objections in recent days, concerned that TikTok's ban could strengthen Meta Platforms Inc's Facebook and Instagram, Republicans in the House of Representatives remain adamant about pushing for the plan.

This year, Trump's objections have affected several legislative measures in the House of Representatives, including leading to the cancellation of cross-party bills in the Senate aimed at overcoming the influx of immigrants on the US-Mexico border, as well as blocking cross-party aid packages for Ukraine.

Nonetheless, TikTok's bill successfully passed the committee unanimously 50-0 last week, indicating the rare bipartisan support.

Republican representative Chip Roy, who is one of the sponsors of the bill's plans, acknowledged Trump's concerns about other social media platforms, but stressed that this step needed to be taken to protect America's interests from China's threats.

Meanwhile, members of the House of Representatives from both parties have received a classification briefing on TikTok from the FBI, the Department of Justice, and intelligence officials, highlighting concerns about potential threats to American families by the Chinese government.

Despite demands from teenage TikTok users against the ban, as well as a lobby campaign from the company itself that states that TikTok is not controlled by the Chinese government, Republicans remain determined to push for the vote of the ban.

Despite Trump's objections, Republican Deputy Ben Cline expressed his support for the bill, saying that everyone has the right to have an opinion.