May 24, 2022 - Miami, FL — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement urging President Joe Biden to prevent TikTok Shop, which entered pilot testing in the United States last fall, from fully operating in the U.S. Executive Order 13873, issued in May 2019 by the Trump Administration, empowers the U.S. Department of Commerce to restrict certain information and communications technology and services "transactions" that pose an undue or unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety of U.S. persons when those transactions involve "foreign adversaries."
“President Biden should make clear that TikTok Shop will not be allowed to operate in the United States,” Rubio said. “Just like TikTok itself, TikTok Shop is beholden to the Chinese Communist Party. It would represent a serious threat to Americans’ personal privacy and U.S. national security. The Biden Administration has the power to prevent TikTok Shop from operating in America, and now it needs to use it. And if, for some reason, bureaucratic lawyers get in the way, President Biden should ask Congress for the necessary authorities. We cannot keep letting Chinese Communist Party-directed companies invade and weaken our country.”
Related:
- December 2021: Rubio Urges Army to Enforce Ban of TikTok for Recruitment
- October 2021: Rubio Requests Biden Administration’s Plan for TikTok, Protecting Americans’ Data
- August 2021: Rubio Calls on Biden to Block TikTok After Beijing Takes Control of Parent Company’s Key Subsidiary
- June 2021: Rubio Calls on Biden to Crack Down on China’s TikTok And WeChat
- October 2020: Rubio Introduces Legislation to Establish Standards and Restrictions for Chinese and Other High-Risk Foreign Apps
- September 2020: Rubio, Colleagues Underscore Significant Concerns to President Trump Regarding Oracle’s TikTok Deal
- August 2020: Rubio Welcomes President’s Actions to Address National Security Threat Posed by China’s TikTok, WeChat
- July 2020: Rubio Supports TikTok Ownership Change, Calls for New Legislation
- July 2020: Rubio Joins Cotton, Colleagues in Urging TikTok Scrutiny Over Election Security
- October 2019: Rubio Requests CFIUS Review of TikTok After Reports of Chinese Censorship
Source: Senator Marco Rubio