Senate holds key test vote on aid to Ukraine, funding for Israel and TikTok ban

WASHINGTON — The Senate is preparing to vote Tuesday on a $95 billion aid package to provide critical aid to Ukraine and a provision that could trigger a nationwide ban on TikTok.

The package, approved by the House of Representatives on Saturday, includes $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, which President Volodymyr Zelensky said would give his country a “chance to prevail” against Russia. This aid includes $26 billion for Israel and humanitarian relief in Gaza, in addition to $8 billion for security in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region.

It would give TikTok's China-based parent company nine months, which the president could extend to a year, to sell the popular social media platform or ban it in the United States. This brings TikTok closer than ever to being banned while ensuring its victory. It will not be banned until after the 2024 elections.

The Senate vote scheduled for Tuesday will not be on final approval of the bill. But it will be a key indicator of whether the legislation has enough support to head to President Joe Biden's desk.

Senators will debate Tuesday afternoon whether they can reach an agreement to vote quickly to pass the bill on the same day or whether they have to wait until Wednesday to approve it.

“The finish line is now in sight,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement over the weekend, saying passage of the bill would be a “defining moment to defend democracy.”

Two months ago, the Senate voted 70-29 to pass a similar $95 billion foreign aid package — but without the TikTok provision.

However, there are signs that the Senate is receptive to the TikTok ban bill, which was reviewed by the House of Representatives.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., chair of the Commerce Committee, supported the new bill, saying she was “very happy” with the expanded window to sell TikTok. A previous bill passed by the House of Representatives would have given the parent company six months to sell TikTok. Cantwell indicated she recommended the change.

“I support this updated legislation,” she said.

Advocates of the app's U.S. ban are expressing concerns about TikTok's relationship with ByteDance, a Beijing-based company, saying the Chinese government could access Americans' data, under Chinese law, a possibility TikTok has downplayed, saying it is headquartered in Singapore. And Los Angeles. They also claim that China can manipulate the algorithm to boost propaganda.

A TikTok spokesperson responded to the House vote over the weekend by saying: “It is unfortunate that the House is using the cover of critical foreign and humanitarian aid to once again obfuscate a ban bill that would trample the free speech rights of 170 people.” One million Americans, destroying 7 million companies, and shutting down a platform that contributes $24 billion to the American economy annually.

Once Biden signs it into law, it “will move to the courts for a legal challenge,” a source inside TikTok said in a memo sent after the House passed the bill.

Republican Senator from Utah, Mike Lee, is pressuring his colleagues to reject the package, saying that 41 senators could join in blocking it.

“The $95 billion bill doesn't need to pass. It only takes 41 senators to stop it Written on X. “There are 49 Republicans in the Senate — that's more than enough. Where do your senators stand?