Bipartisan Senators Ask Biden for 90-Day Extension on TikTok Sale Deadline as Stakes Rise

Bipartisan Senators Ask Biden for 90-Day Extension on TikTok Sale Deadline as Stakes Rise

By Alexander Mitchell

December 21, 2024 at 03:47 AM

Two U.S. senators are urging President Biden to extend TikTok's forced-sale deadline by 90 days beyond the current January 19th cutoff date.

Senators Edward Markey (D-MA) and Rand Paul (R-KY) submitted a brief letter highlighting the challenging timeline for ByteDance to divest TikTok under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.

US Capitol with flags at sunset

US Capitol with flags at sunset

The senators emphasize two key concerns:

  1. ByteDance cannot realistically complete a divestiture by January 19th, even if the Supreme Court upholds the law's constitutionality
  2. Without intervention, TikTok will face an immediate ban, causing significant disruption to creators and users

The law allows the president to grant a one-time 90-day extension if three conditions are met:

  • Identification of a qualified divestiture path
  • Evidence of significant progress toward divestiture
  • Binding legal agreements in place for execution

While some reports question whether these requirements can be satisfied, the senators argue the extension is crucial, especially given that President-elect Trump's inauguration falls on January 20th, one day after the current deadline.

TikTok and ByteDance maintain their position against selling the platform and will challenge the law before the Supreme Court on January 10th, leaving little time before the deadline.

3D blue AI text on abstract

3D blue AI text on abstract

TikTok screens showing holiday music hashtags

TikTok screens showing holiday music hashtags

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