Legislation Banning TikTok from U.S. Government Devices in $1.7 Trillion Omnibus Bill

Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-MO) Senate-passed legislation to ban the Chinese social media app TikTok from U.S. government devices is in the 4,155-page $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill that would fund the government through September 2023.

The final push to include Hawley’s No TikTok on Government Devices Act in the massive spending bill came last week after it passed the Senate unanimously.

Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) backed putting the legislation banning the Chinese social media app on government devices in the spending bill last week after initially raising questions about the wording. Republican Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) also called on Pelosi to “immediately allow an up-or-down vote” on the legislation.

Wonders never cease https://t.co/3S3MxoKaJM

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) December 20, 2022

Following the massive spending bill language release, the Missouri senator stated on Elon Musk’s Twitter, “After years of talk, the TikTok ban will be the first major strike against Big Tech enacted into law.”

The legislation would ultimately ban the Chinese social media app or any of its successors or services developed or provided by ByteDance Limited and any entities from the company, except for law enforcement and national security interests.

The United States Senate passed legislation Wednesday night by unanimous consent to ban the Chinese social media app TikTok from U.S. government devices amid national security risks. https://t.co/St2K1Efy72

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) December 16, 2022

“TikTok is a Trojan Horse for the Chinese Communist Party. It’s a major security risk to the United States, and until it is forced to sever ties with China completely, it has no place on government devices,” said Hawley in a statement after the bill passed. “States across the U.S. are banning TikTok on government devices. It’s time for Joe Biden and the Democrats to help do the same.”

A spokesperson for TikTok said in a statement last week after the Senate passed the legislation that banning the Chinese social media app would do “nothing to advance U.S. national security interests.”

On the state level, numerous governors have announced that their states would also ban TikTok from state government devices. Just last week, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R), Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R), and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) joined the other Republican governors.

In 2020, under then-President Donald Trump, the administration tried to ban TikTok, but it resulted in the Chinese social media app’s parent company divesting the platform to an American company, as previously noted by Breitbart News.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.