Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he is teeing up a packed legislative agenda for when lawmakers return next week, expressing hope they can make progress "on a path forward on TikTok legislation," according to a report.
The New York Democrat did not indicate a specific stance on the legislation in a statement released Friday, but said, "in the weeks and months ahead, we have the opportunity to make progress on bipartisan bills" including TikTok, Reuters reported.
The Senate will return after a two-week recess.
The House, by a 352-65 margin, voted last month to give ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, six months to divest from the social media app or face a ban in the U.S.
Congressional staffers told Reuters there is no action planned on TikTok as discussions continue.
Some lawmakers contend that TikTok poses a national security risk, fearing that China will be able to access private data from its U.S. users or employ the platform to influence Americans, including toward interference in the 2024 presidential election. There are about 170 million TikTok users in the U.S.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell said last month that she was weighing holding a public hearing on the issue.
"The key point here is getting a tool that can be used to stop foreign actors from doing deleterious things that might harm U.S. citizens," Cantwell said. "We'll get it done and we're not going to take forever."
President Biden indicated last month that he would sign the legislation if it clears Congress.
TikTok has claimed that a ban would violate Americans' First Amendment rights.
