Elon Musk says he opposes TikTok ban as bill returns to Capitol Hill
The House passed a similar bill last month but it faced pushback in the Senate
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Elon Musk on Friday expressed his opposition to banning TikTok in the United States as another bill heads to Capitol Hill.
"In my opinion, TikTok should not be banned in the USA, even though such a ban may benefit the 𝕏 platform," Musk, who owns X, wrote on the platform on Friday. "Doing so would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression. It is not what America stands for."
This week, House Republicans unveiled a national security bill that includes a provision banning TikTok in the U.S. if its Chinese owner ByteDance doesn’t sell or sever its connections with the Chinese Communist Party.
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Elon Musk on Friday expressed his opposition to banning TikTok in the United States as another proposed ban heads to Capitol Hill. ( Chesnot/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The bill gives ByteDance a year to cut its ties to the CCP and is included with a foreign aid package for Israel and Ukraine.
It could be voted on as early as Saturday.
Last month, the House passed a similar bill with bipartisan support, but faced pushback in the Senate.
The House is proposing a revised bill to ban TikTok in the U.S. or require ByteDance to divest from the Chinese Communist Party.
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On Wednesday, Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said she now supports the legislation after ByteDance was given a year – instead of six months in the original bill – to separate from the CCP.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said she now supports the legislation. (Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images / Getty Images)
"I’m very happy that Speaker Johnson and House leaders incorporated my recommendation to extend the ByteDance divestment period from six months to a year," Cantwell said Wednesday. "As I’ve said, extending the divestment period is necessary to ensure there is enough time for a new buyer to get a deal done. I support this updated legislation."
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In the past, Musk has called himself a "free speech absolutist," claiming it's one of the reasons he bought Twitter, which he renamed X.