Two Democratic lawmakers have urged Congress and President Joe Biden to extend the January 19 deadline requiring China-based ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. assets or face a ban. The Supreme Court recently heard arguments from ByteDance’s lawyer, Noel Francisco, who claimed a sale by the deadline is unfeasible. Francisco warned that a ban would render TikTok, used by 170 million Americans, inoperative.
Biden could extend the deadline by 90 days if substantial progress toward a sale is demonstrated, but meeting this requirement seems unlikely. Senator Edward Markey proposed legislation to delay the deadline by 270 days, arguing a ban would dismantle a unique cultural platform and harm millions reliant on the app for social and economic purposes.
Representative Ro Khanna called for Biden and President-elect Donald Trump to halt the ban, emphasizing its impact on free speech and livelihoods. Trump suggested delaying the law’s implementation until after his inauguration on January 20 to pursue a political resolution.
If the court doesn’t block the law by Sunday, new TikTok downloads from Apple and Google app stores will cease, though current users can temporarily access the app. Services will degrade over time without necessary support. The White House has yet to comment.
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