Speaker Johnson Renews House Select Committee on the CCP

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The committee has been renewed for a second term to continue work that the House speaker deems crucial.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday renewed the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for a second term.

It came after the House of Representatives voted on Jan. 3 to renew the committee, which was created in January 2023 to address the “strategic competition” between the United States and the CCP.

In July 2024, Johnson expressed his backing for the renewal of the committee in the 119th Congress, and he released a statement via the committee on Tuesday saying the committee’s ongoing work is “crucial.”

He also praised committee Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.).

“Through his principled service in Congress, John has earned the respect of our House colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and we are pleased to announce that the committee will continue under his leadership during the critical 119th Congress,” he said.

Moolenaar took over as the committee’s chairman in April 2024 when former chairman Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) left Congress.

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Members of the committee have introduced a host of China-related bills, including those aimed at screening Chinese investments, stopping Chinese companies from accessing U.S. tax benefits, incentivizing the divestiture of certain securities with China links, supporting Taiwan’s international space, sanctioning TikTok, reducing China’s dominance of critical mineral supplies, and pressuring the CCP over the use of forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region.

On Jan. 23, Moolenaar, along with Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), a member of the Ways and Means Committee and co-founder and chair of the bipartisan Congressional Uyghur Caucus, reintroduced a bill to suspend normal trade relations with China and codify higher tariffs on goods from the country. A companion bill was reintroduced in the Senate by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).
On top of legislative efforts, the committee’s advocacy on China-related issues includes calling for the government to tighten chip restrictions, protect U.S. photonic chip technologies from Chinese threats and competition, designate certain companies as Chinese military companies, and restrict U.S. biotech companies from conducting clinical trials with entities linked to the Chinese military.

As of Tuesday, Johnson has appointed 12 Republican members to the committee on the CCP besides Moolenaar, including eight existing members, Reps. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill), Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), and Carlos GimĂ©nez (R-Fla.); and four new members, Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Young Kim (R-Calif.),  Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), and Zach Nunn (R-Iowa). 

Democratic members of the committee can be appointed only after consultation with minority leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

In a statement, Moolenaar thanked Johnson for his support and pledged to “advance policies that keep the United States strong and secure as we confront China’s increasing challenges to our national security.”

The CCP “represents the most significant national and economic security threat of our time,” he said, adding that he’s proud to build on the bipartisan work of the last Congress.

“We are strengthening our efforts to combat the CCP’s growing influence around the world and protect our freedom and way of life,” he said.

Original News Source Link – Epoch Times

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