WATCH: Senator Markey’s Floor Remarks

Washington (January 13, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey, a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today delivered remarks on the U.S. Senate floor and live on TikTok regarding the consequences if TikTok is banned in the United States on January 19. Senator Markey also announced his plan to introduce legislation, the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act, to delay the deadline by which ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban by an additional 270 days.

Below is an excerpt from his remarks.

“As the January 19th deadline approaches, TikTok creators and users across the nation are understandably alarmed. They are uncertain about the future of the platform, their accounts, and the vibrant online communities they have cultivated.

“These communities cannot be replicated on another app. A ban would dismantle a one-of-a-kind informational and cultural ecosystem, silencing millions in the process.

“The stakes here are high. That’s why I will soon introduce the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act to extend the deadline by which ByteDance must sell TikTok or face a ban by an additional 270 days.

“Let me be clear: TikTok has its problems. Like every social media platform, TikTok poses a serious risk to the privacy and mental health of our young people. I will continue to hold TikTok accountable for such behavior. But a TikTok ban would impose serious consequences on millions of Americans who depend on the app for social connections and their economic livelihood. We cannot allow that to happen.”

Senators Markey and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), along with Congressman Ro Khanna (CA-17), 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. In the brief, Senators Markey and Paul and Representative Khanna argued that the TikTok ban lacks evidence and directly conflicts with the First Amendment, undermining the rights of over 170 million Americans who use the platform.

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