Democratic Senator Ed Markey has introduced new legislation aimed at keeping TikTok operational in the U.S. while addressing national security concerns, as the popular video-sharing app's
future remains in limbo.
TikTok, which has 170 million American users, faces a potential ban due to a law passed last year requiring its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations by January 19. However, President Donald Trump has instructed the Justice Department not to enforce the law, complicating the situation.
Markey’s proposed bill would allow TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. without a forced divestment—if the company implements stronger content transparency measures and limits foreign access to American user data.
President Trump recently extended the deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. assets by 90 days, moving it to September 17. But Markey and other Democrats argue the president lacks the legal authority to extend that deadline and claim the proposed solutions don’t meet legal standards.
“For months, I’ve pushed for an alternative to banning TikTok—one that protects both user access and national security,” Markey said. “With Trump unlawfully delaying enforcement, Congress needs to reclaim its power, correct its course, and find a smarter solution.”
Earlier this year, a deal was being negotiated to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a separate American company backed by U.S. investors. But those talks stalled after China signaled it would block the deal in response to Trump’s new tariffs on Chinese imports.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warned last week that TikTok could be forced to shut down in the U.S. if China doesn’t approve a sale. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent noted on Tuesday that TikTok wasn’t discussed during recent trade talks with Chinese officials.
So far, Trump has issued three delays on enforcing the law mandating either a sale or shutdown of TikTok in the U.S., originally set to take effect in January. Photo by Senate Democrats, Wikimedia commons.
