House Votes on Suite of Bills Targeting CCP Security Threat

by

The 20-some bills teed up for fast-tracking focuses on addressing the CCP’s threat to the United States in two main areas: technology and influence.

WASHINGTON—After a monthlong recess, House lawmakers are voting on a flurry of China-related legislation during their first week back.

Dubbed “China Week,” the initiative from House Republican leadership will see lawmakers vote on a slew of bills ranging from protecting U.S. farmland and trade secrets to bolstering critical infrastructure and defending U.S. advanced technology from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Adding a China Week amid other priorities, most notably the pressure to pass spending bills, has bipartisan support and shows the congressional consensus that the Chinese regime poses the most significant national security risk to the United States. That position will likely continue in the next administration regardless of who wins the election in November.

About 20 bills are poised to go through a fast-tracking hurdle in the House today. The procedure, called suspension of the rules, requires the approval of two-thirds of the representatives present and will limit the debate to 40 minutes. The legislation is Republican-led but has garnered bipartisan support.

The 20-some bills teed up for fast-tracking focuses on addressing the CCP’s threat to the United States in two main areas: technology and influence.

Seven bills aim to prohibit communist China from breaching U.S. security via insecure devices or predatory data collection, including Chinese drones, port cranes, and biotech companies collecting the genetic data of Americans.

Related Stories

China’s Steel Industry Faces Harsh Reality as Overcapacity Compounds Other Issues
Trump, Harris Endorse Tariffs on China, With Differing Approaches

Another seven bills aim to support the U.S. global technological leadership by fending off Chinese espionage and strengthening export controls.

Four other bills seek to reduce Chinese influence in U.S. elections and universities through restrictions tied to foreign funding.

Protecting Americans From CCP Technology

The China-related bills show an overwhelming concern about the communist regime using technology to infiltrate U.S. critical infrastructure or collect Americans’ personal data.

One of the bills voted and passed on Monday is the Countering CCP Drones Act introduced by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) .

“The Chinese Communist Party is working to undermine American sovereignty by forcing Americans to rely and depend on insecure Communist Chinese technology,” Stefanik said on the House floor. “Nowhere is this more evident than in the drone industry.”

Drones manufactured by the Chinese company DJI are estimated to make up about 80 percent of the U.S. market and 90 percent of the drones used by U.S. public safety agencies.
Stefanik sees the need to restrict further the use of Chinese drones, which are believed to collect data on U.S. soil. If signed into law, the Countering CCP Drones Act will require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ban the equipment of Chinese drone company DJI. The Department of Defense has classified DJI as a Chinese military company and has prohibited its use in the U.S. military.
A Senate version was introduced in July and is currently with the Commerce Committee.
In this photo illustration, a DJI Mavic 2 Pro made by the Chinese drone maker hovers in place in Miami, Fla., on Dec. 15, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

In this photo illustration, a DJI Mavic 2 Pro made by the Chinese drone maker hovers in place in Miami, Fla., on Dec. 15, 2021. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

On Sept. 6, Stefanik and other Republican lawmakers urged the federal government to restrict the use of Chinese-made agriculture drones. They also requested a briefing with the Agriculture Department and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency by Sept. 30.
The BIOSECURE Act, another bipartisan bill, prohibits the federal government from contracting and financing Chinese biotechnology firms and foreign adversaries’ biotech companies of concern. The legislation targets several top Chinese biotech firms, including Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI Group), MGI, Complete Genomics, WuXi AppTec, and WuXi Biologics, and cites the risk that these companies could transfer Amercians’ data to the CCP.

A key difference between the sector and other high-tech industries, such as semiconductors, is the moral and ethical element.

If China is the first to achieve dominance in cutting-edge biotechnologies, it will set the ethical standard in a way that favors the CCP while disadvantaging Western democracies that may use the technology differently.

Therefore, lawmakers want to stop the U.S. federal government from financing Chinese biotech firms and ensure that these companies don’t have access to American data. The Senate companion version of the BIOSECURE Act was introduced last December and has passed the Homeland Security Committee.

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) voiced concerns that the Commerce and the Defense Departments do not currently blacklist the named companies in the bill. The Congressman,  who is sanctioned by China, said he just wanted a “more thorough process” in banning specific companies. Therefore, he requested a recorded vote, which will be conducted later tonight.

John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), chair of the House China panel and one of the original sponsors of the BIOSECURE Act, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement today: “It is Congress’s constitutional duty to write national security laws, and that includes the authority to investigate and name foreign-adversary-controlled companies in law because of the threat they pose to national security. And make no mistake: BGI, WuXi AppTec, and Wuxi Biologics all pose unacceptable threats to national security. The evidence is clear and available to all Members.”

The Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass., on March 23, 2020. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass., on March 23, 2020. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Curbing Chinese Influence on US Soil

Chinese influence on American universities and its role in interfering in U.S. elections have been well documented by government agencies and think tanks.

Another two bills, sponsored by Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) and August Pfluger (R-Texas), seek to address the issue.

Malliotakis’s bill would prohibit tax-exempt organizations from funding political activities if they receive any funding from China, a bill that she told The Epoch Times would prevent China from “exploit[ing] our electoral process off the backs of taxpayers.”
Pfluger’s bill focuses on universities, preventing schools that receive Beijing-based funding from receiving Department of Homeland Security grants.

“It is time that we draw a line in the sand—either you support national security, or you do not,” Pfluger said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.

Pfluger’s bill is not considered for fast-tracking. However, the office said it expects it to be voted on the House floor later in the week. The bill’s Senate version is still with the committee of jurisdiction.

The proposed bills are relatively reserved in their scope and are likely to win broad bipartisan consensus, partly due to Republicans’ slim, four-seat majority.

Several of these bills order studies into an issue, with some matters requiring more action—like restricting outbound investment to China and ending the de minimis privilege (which exempts shipments under $800 from tariffs) on Chinese goods—left out entirely.

President Joe Biden hasn’t indicated whether he endorses the initiative, which would likely be necessary to get the bills through the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Catherine Yang has contributed to this report.

Original News Source Link – Epoch Times

Running For Office? Conservative Campaign Consulting – Election Day Strategies!