Arizona congressional delegation split over TikTok as Biden signs bill that could ban app

President Joe Biden signed a bill on Wednesday forcing Chinese-based parent company ByteDance to sell their popular social media app TikTok or face a ban. The debate split Arizona's congressional delegation.

Under what is now U.S. law after Biden's signature, ByteDance has 270 days to find a new owner or be banned from the U.S. entirely through app stores.

The deadline for the app to find a new owner is Jan. 19, 2025, but the deadline could be extended for another 90 days if the company makes progress toward a sale around by that date. That potentially gives TikTok a year before facing a ban.

Similar legislation passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in March, but stalled in the Senate. In a procedural move, House Republicans attached the TikTok bill to a foreign-aid package in the hopes that this action would force a vote in the Senate.

More on the story: TikTok ban bill splits Arizona's congressional delegation in a different way. Here's how

The foreign-aid package that included the TikTok bill was a massive one. The bill allocated $95 billion in aid to U.S. allies. That included $26 billion for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, $61 million for Ukraine in its conflict against Russia and $8 billion for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.

The package received bipartisan support from both chambers of Congress. Here's how the vote broke down among Arizona's House and Senate delegations.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., voted against all of the measures in the legislative package and has been outspoken about his opposition to the foreign aid. He also voted against the TikTok bill in March.

In a previous statement in March about the TikTok legislation, he called the bill "not a serious attempt to thwart China’s influence or data collection in the United States".

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., voted in favor of all of the legislation. He previously voted in favor of the TikTok bill in March, calling "CCP-controlled ByteDance" a "national security threat" in a statement to The Arizona Republic.

"There is no daylight between ByteDance and the Chinese Communist Party – it is clear that TikTok has been a tool for our adversary to collect data and surveil Americans," Ciscomani said Wednesday in a statement to The Republic. "I’m pleased to see this bipartisan effort signed into law, taking the CCP out of millions of Americans’ pockets."

More on Ciscomani: Reps. Juan Ciscomani and Eli Crane went to Israel as Gaza war rages

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz.

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., voted against the package. However, he previously voted in March in favor of the TikTok bill. Crane's opposition to the package centered on the lack of border security funding, but he also voted against the TikTok bill.

Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., voted against the foreign-aid package for similar reasons as Crane and Biggs, citing the border crisis. And while he did not vote in March, he voted in favor of this month's TikTok bill because it "tramples on the free speech rights of TikTok’s users," he said in a statement to The Republic.

"While I am no fan of TikTok, I am a strong advocate for freedom of speech," Gosar said. "The suppression of TikTok only serves to benefit other big tech companies, like Facebook."

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Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz.

Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., voted in favor of the package, except for the Ukraine funding.

Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz.

Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., voted in favor of all the measures in the package.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who is running for U.S. Senate, voted in favor of all the measures in the package, including the TikTok bill. He previously voted against the TikTok bill in March.

"(Gallego) will always fight to hold our adversaries — including China — accountable and will continue to protect Arizonans' security," Jacques Petit, Gallego's spokesperson, said in a statement.

Gallego's "Buck Stops Here Act" also passed as a part of the package. The legislation, now law, seeks to reduce the impact of the fentanyl epidemic through the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz.

Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., also voted in favor of all the measures in the package. He reiterated his statement to The Republic from March's TikTok bill and said "we cannot allow a foreign adversary to collect sensitive data on millions of Americans."

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., did not vote.

In a written statement to The Republic, Grijalva said the app should be accessible while not being "a tool for foreign government spying, intrusive personal data collection and manipulation," but has concerns that "this bill only targets one company and does not apply to wider protections of Americans' personal information."

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., voted in favor of the foreign-aid package.

In a statement to The Republic, Kelly said he was "concerned" about the national security threat the app posed and that this bill would allow "Arizonans who use this app to connect with friends and family or grow their business ... continue to do so more securely."

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., voted in favor of the foreign-aid package.

"From cartels recruiting teenagers to smuggle drugs and people across the border, to foreign adversaries like China mining and collecting sensitive information on Americans, TikTok presents a serious threat to America's national security and Americans' privacy," Sinema said in a statement to The Republic.

Reach reporter Morgan Fischer at morgan.fischer@gannett.com or on X, formally known as Twitter, @morgfisch.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Delegation split on TikTok bill, now U.S. Law