Combating the threat of Communist China

By U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman
R-Arkansas

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) presents one of the greatest threats to American values and national security in our lifetime. Our education, supply chains, health care systems and more are under constant siege from the CCP’s relentless overreach. Last week, House Republicans took a crucial stand against the CCP, advancing a series of bills that will swiftly reduce its leverage over the United States.

The financial impact of China’s intellectual property theft in the U.S. is staggering, estimated to be as high as $500 billion annually. H.R. 1398, the Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from the CCP Act, is a crucial step in safeguarding U.S. intellectual property and businesses by requiring the Department of Justice to reinstate its China Initiative, a key tool in prioritizing the investigation and prosecution of China-backed intellectual property theft.

The CCP’s reach into the lives of everyday Americans has now crept its way onto college campuses. At universities nationwide, the CCP is utilizing organizations called Confucious Institutes as tools to undermine and influence the education of American students. 

H.R.1516, the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act, passed on a bipartisan vote and will be a major step in protecting our future generations by restricting funding for universities that maintain relationships with Confucious Institutes or any other CCP-affiliated entities of concern.

In the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats enacted generous new tax subsidies for electric vehicles (E.V.s) at an enormous cost to American taxpayers. To make matters worse, the Biden-Harris Administration unsurprisingly left open loopholes allowing China to take advantage of these subsidies. H.R. 7980, End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles Act in America, is a commonsense and, unfortunately, necessary bill that will close the loopholes and prevent the CCP from leveraging its supply chain dominance to benefit from E.V. tax subsidies in the United States.

In addition to American education, innovation, and supply chains, as if that isn’t enough, the CCP has quietly been purchasing American farmland right under our noses – posing a direct threat to our national economy and food supply. I’ve signed onto numerous legislative efforts on this issue and was proud to support H.R. 9456, the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024. 

This common-sense legislation, which passed on a bipartisan vote, will strengthen the United States’ ability to inspect and scrutinize the sale of agricultural land to entities that may be associated with foreign adversaries, like the CCP.

The broad support for these legislative measures underscores the ongoing need to address the existential threat posed by the CCP. I was proud to stand with my colleagues in supporting these bills. I am committed to continuing our work on legislative solutions that strengthen America’s competitive advantage against our foreign adversaries like the CCP.

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