Washington (January 17, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee released the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision to uphold the TikTok ban.

“I am deeply disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the TikTok ban. With 170 million users and seven million businesses relying on TikTok, a TikTok ban taking effect on Sunday would be profoundly harmful - from creators losing their livelihoods, to communities losing an essential communication tool during emergencies such as the Los Angeles wildfires. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans blocked my legislation this week to extend the TikTok deadline. I have been urging, and will continue to urge, the Biden administration to use its authority in the law to extend the TikTok deadline and ensure that this critical communication platform does not go dark on Sunday, causing serious harm to millions of creators.”

On January 16, 2025, Senator Markey, along with Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to trigger the 90-day extension in the Protection Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act to allow ByteDance additional time to divest from TikTok. On January 15, 2025, Senators Markey, Booker, and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Congressman Khanna (CA-17) introduced the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act, legislation that would delay the January 19 deadline by which ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban, by an additional 270 days.

Senators Markey and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), along with Congressman Khanna, recently submitted a bipartisan, bicameral amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the D.C. Circuit Court's decision in TikTok Inc. v. Garland, which upheld the TikTok ban established under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. On December 19, Senators Markey and Paul sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to provide TikTok owner ByteDance with a 90-day extension to either sell TikTok or face the ban.

###