‘Thunder Run’: Behind Lawmakers’ Secretive Push to Pass the TikTok Bill

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the secretive efforts by a small group of lawmakers to pass a bill that would force TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to sell the app or risk it being banned in the United States.

🙋 Q&A

[01] "Thunder Run": Behind Lawmakers' Secretive Push to Pass the TikTok Bill

1. What was the secretive effort by lawmakers to pass the TikTok bill?

• A small group of lawmakers worked in private for nearly a year to write a version of the bill that would force TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to sell the app or risk it being banned in the US.
• They concealed their efforts to avoid setting off TikTok's lobbying power, and worked with the Justice Department and White House to bulletproof the bill against expected legal challenges.
• The final stage of passing the bill was described as a "Thunder Run" that played out in just 7 weeks from when it was publicly introduced, which is remarkably fast for Washington.

2. Who were the key lawmakers and officials involved in shaping and passing the TikTok bill?

• Representative Steve Scalise, the Republican majority leader, was one of 15 lawmakers, aides and officials directly involved in the process.

[02] TikTok Hearing and Previous Proposals

1. What happened after the initial TikTok hearing where lawmakers grilled the company's CEO?

• After the initial hearing where TikTok's CEO was harshly questioned, little emerged from the House committee that held the hearing.
• A proposal to enable the administration to force a TikTok sale or ban also fizzled in the Senate.

2. What changed that led to the secretive effort to pass the TikTok bill?

• Despite the initial scrutiny, there was mostly silence after the TikTok hearing. This prompted a small group of lawmakers to start plotting a secretive effort to pass legislation targeting TikTok.