US President Joe Biden is poised to enact a landmark legislation encompassing a substantial foreign aid package, alongside a provision to prohibit TikTok's operation within the country unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, divests its ownership stake within a year.
The bill sailed through the US Senate with a decisive 79-18 vote on Tuesday, following its passage by a significant margin in the House over the preceding weekend.
TikTok, boasting over 170 million American users, refrained from immediate comment. However, Michael Beckerman, the head of public policy for the Americas at TikTok, asserted the company's intention to contest the measure in court.
"As soon as the bill is signed, we will pursue legal recourse through the judicial system," Beckerman conveyed in a memorandum addressed to TikTok's US workforce.
The legislation accords ByteDance a nine-month window to orchestrate a divestment, with a potential 90-day extension period.
In an official statement from the White House, President Biden underscored the bipartisan consensus in Congress, characterizing it as a response to "the imperative of our times."
"I will affix my signature to this legislation and engage with the American people promptly upon its arrival at my desk tomorrow, thereby initiating the process of dispatching weaponry and equipment to Ukraine within this week," affirmed the US President.
"The exigency is palpable: for Ukraine, grappling with relentless assaults from Russia; for Israel, recently subjected to unprecedented aggression from Iran; for refugees and populations afflicted by conflict and natural calamities across the globe, including in Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti; and for our allies in pursuit of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region," he elaborate
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