Ban On TikTok To Be Included In U.S. Spending Bill

After FBI Director Christopher Wray said last month that TikTok poses a national security risk, noting that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government could use the app to influence users or control devices, every state governor has begun to order a ban on the use of TikTok by government personnel.

On Tuesday, a proposal to bar federal employees from using TikTok on government devices was incorporated into a key spending bill. This ban, proposed in a massive omnibus measure to fund U.S. government operations that is expected to be voted on this week and then sent to President Biden for his signature. Under the bill, the White House Office of Management and Budget would have 60 days to develop standards and guidelines for executive agencies requiring the removal of TikTok from federal devices.

On the same day, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the Biden administration welcomes Congress codifying this restriction across the federal government, and noted that the Biden administration has never allowed TikTok on White House devices.

The proposal is said to have won the backing of ex-Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy.