The measure, introduced by another House of Representatives committee and backed by the White House, cites national security concerns.

In response, TikTok has said the proposed legislation would hurt free speech and small businesses that rely on the app – and has urged its users to call members of Congress to voice their opposition.

The bill is set to go to a full House floor vote in the coming days.

It has initally been proposed by a cross-party group of 20 lawmakers who form the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. It was approved unanimously 50-0 on March 7th by the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Senate will need to approve it before it became law.

“America’s foremost adversary has no business controlling a dominant media platform in the United States,” commented committee chairman Mike Gallagher, a Republican of Wisconsin.

A previous attempt by former US President Donald Trump hit several legal obstacles and never came into force.