Two U.S. senators are urging President Biden to extend TikTok's forced-sale deadline by 90 days beyond the current January 19th cutoff date.

Senators Edward Markey (D-MA) and Rand Paul (R-KY) submitted a concise letter highlighting the impracticality of ByteDance divesting TikTok within the current timeframe, even if the Supreme Court upholds the law's constitutionality in their January 10th hearing.

Under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the president can grant a one-time 90-day extension. However, this requires:

• Identifying a path to qualified divestiture
• Showing significant progress toward execution
• Confirming binding legal agreements are in place

The senators argue that without an extension, judicial injunction, or law overturn, TikTok will face an immediate ban in the United States, significantly impacting creators and users. The timing is particularly crucial as the current deadline falls just one day before President-elect Trump's inauguration.

ByteDance has consistently maintained its position against selling TikTok, with their Supreme Court challenge scheduled for January 10th. While some reports question the president's ability to extend the deadline under current law requirements, the senators suggest that flexible interpretations of "significant" progress and "in place" agreements could allow for the extension.

The stakes remain high as the deadline approaches, with potential significant implications for millions of American TikTok users and creators if no action is taken.

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