Rand Paul blocks Josh Hawley's efforts to ban TikTok, joining one of the app's few defenders

Two Republican senators clashed over TikTok Wednesday, widening a free-speech fight in the party as Congress and the White House consider outright bans of the social media app.

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s efforts to fast-track a ban on TikTok nationwide, with his "No TikTok on United States Devices Act, were blocked by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

“We should act decisively to ban TikTok directly,” said Hawley on the Senate floor, arguing the app's possible connections to the Chinese government call for swift action from Congress.

Rand Paul: Do Congressional Republicans really want to emulate China by banning TikTok?

But Paul objected, striking down Hawley's efforts and saying that banning the app would violate the First Amendment.

“This legislation not only violates the First Amendment of those who own TikTok, many of whom are actually Americans, not Chinese,” said Paul. “But it also violates the First Amendment rights of the millions of young Americans who use this social media app.”

Where TikTok ban stands in Congress

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have increasingly expressed support for banning the app due to the platform’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s high profile testimony to the House Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this month.

In his testimony, Chew was grilled by skeptical lawmakers over whether the app is conducting surveillance for the Chinese government and how the app collects and stores user data.