Thousands of TikTok users are calling members of Congress to demand they vote against bill that could ban the app because of its links to China.
Capitol Hill aides say children – some crying and some in classrooms – are calling into their office and making phones ring off the hook, fearing their favorite social media platform is at risk.
Staffers to members on the Energy and Commerce Committee say people of all ages called throughout the morning expressing concerns about the law that would force owner ByteDance to divest from TikTok.
A TikTok spokesperson told DailyMail.com the notification went to users who are 18+.
Others were shocked that so many ‘grown men’ were calling and were accusing members of being ‘racist’ by supporting the bipartisan bill.
Some callers are just hanging up as soon as they get an answer, only concerned with accessing the app.
Republicans say the flood of calls is down to TikTok lobbying its users. Some see alert on the app with an option to call their local member of Congress, based on the zip code they are in.
Republicans say the flood of calls is down to TikTok lobbying its users
Leaders on the China select committee are pushing a bipartisan bill that would force state-affiliated ByteDance to sell its shares of TikTok or else the popular video-sharing platform would be banned
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before Congress in January
‘They are unending,’ one staffer to an Energy and Commerce member told DailyMail.com. ‘All four lines have been ringing off the hook. Lots of kids calling from schools, also way more grown men than I’d expect.’
‘We got hammered very hard until about 12:30 p.m. today,’ said another E&C member’s aide.
‘We’ve had young children in classrooms (you can hear teachers, other students in the background) calling just so they can access the app,’ said another aide to an E&C member.
‘Had a few adults call and say they use the app to look at “women.” Did have one person say banning TikTok is “racist.”‘
‘Most don’t know the connection to China and are receptive when we tell them the facts,’ the staffer added.
The calls came as the Energy and Commerce Committee was in a rare classified hearing about the threats of TikTok before advancing a new bill that would force Chinese state-affiliated ByteDance to divest TikTok or else be banned in the U.S.
The bill already has the support of both President Biden and Speaker Mike Johnson – and passed the Energy and Commerce Committee 50-0 on Thursday.
‘TikTok will do anything they can—including manipulating and exploiting American users—in order to prevent CCP-controlled ByteDance from being banned from the U.S.,’ said Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers on X.
Despite Biden’s support for the new bill, his campaign is on TikTok under the name ‘BidenHQ.’
The House China Select Committee on China, which introduced the bill, has accused CCP officials of using TikTok to spy on U.S. users’ locations and dictate its algorithm to conduct influence campaigns, making it a national security threat.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act would specifically designate ByteDance and TikTok as foreign adversary-controlled applications.
If passed, ByteDance would have five months after the law is signed to divest from TikTok. If it does not, app stores and web hosting platforms would not be allowed to distribute it in the U.S.
‘First of all, if you didn’t think TikTok would engage in malicious behavior before today, you shouldn’t think so any longer,’ said Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, on X, referring to the phone call operation.
‘Second, China is not like the US. China can make companies do whatever the government wants, to include handing over data and weaponizing social media platforms for potentially the most far-reaching psych warfare operation in history.’
Nearly 20 Republicans and Democrats have worked on the proposed law for over a year, top China committee Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., said, adding the committee met with industry specialists and national security interests while crafting the legislation.
Krishnamoorthi warned that top CCP officials have ties to high-ranking ByteDance executives
The bill also would broaden the scope of the president’s powers in general to ban foreign adversary-controlled applications, calling out those affiliated with China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
In a statement, TikTok said of the bill’s passing committee: ‘This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States. The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.’
The committee fired back, with multiple members reminding reporters that the bill does not outright ban the app.
‘This bill is not a ban, and it’s really not about TikTok,’ Krishnamoorthi said.