Washington, D.C. – This week, Congress returned to session after the annual August recess, and kicked off what is expected to be a busy month with “China Week,” where the House voted on a series of bills aimed at countering the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its influence in America. During the week, House lawmakers voted on and passed 25 different pieces of legislation pertaining to this issue that will ultimately strengthen our national security. With Honor Action has played a key role in advocating for several pieces of legislation that made it to the House floor this week, and celebrates the passage of the following with overwhelming bipartisan support:
- H.R. 8333 – The BIOSECURE Act, led by For Country Caucus Member Rep. Brad Wenstrup, would protect sensitive American information from the CCP by prohibiting federally funded medical providers and executive agencies from obtaining materials produced or provided by foreign biotechnology companies of concern.
- H.R. 8152 – The Remote Access Security Act, led by For Country Caucus Member Rep. Jeff Jackson, would take necessary steps to protect advanced American semiconductor chip information from the CCP. Despite current restrictions on the export of these chips, Chinese companies have been able to exploit a loophole in U.S. export control laws to access this technology remotely and use it to develop AI capabilities. This legislation would close that loophole and protect sensitive information.
- H.R. 7159 – The Pacific Partnership Act, supported by For Country Caucus Members Rep. Steve Womack and Rep. Don Bacon, would strengthen U.S. engagement in the Indo-Pacific, and ensure the U.S. has an enduring presence in this critical region. Specifically, it would augment our cooperation with the Indo-Pacific by codifying the 2022 Pacific Partnership Strategy with four-year updates, designates the Pacific Islands Forum with diplomatic status, and requires presidential reporting on implementation of these strategies.
- H.R. 8361 – The Economic Espionage Prevention Act, led by For Country Caucus Member Rep. Rich McCormick, would bolster our national security by authorizing the Administration to impose sanctions on foreign persons or entities that knowingly engage in economic or industrial espionage.
- H.R. 9456 – The Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act would take necessary steps to prevent adversarial nations, such as the CCP, from buying and owning U.S. agricultural land in sensitive areas. This is critical as the CCP continues to buy U.S. land close to military bases as a measure to obtain surveillance and intelligence on our armed forces. Specifically, this legislation would add the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investments in the U.S. (CFIUS), allowing the Department of Agriculture to better monitor transactions related to land, biotechnology, transportation, storage, and processing.
With Honor Action also applauds the passage of the following legislation that passed with bipartisan support:
- H.R. 2864 – Countering CCP Drones Act
- H.R. 1103 – Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act
- H.R. 7589 – Removing Our Unsecure Technologies to Ensure Reliability and Security (ROUTERS) Act
- H.R. 554 – Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act
- H.R. 4741 – Securing Global Telecommunications Act
- H.Res. 1056 – Recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea
“As China week comes to a close, With Honor Action celebrates the passage of several key pieces of legislation to curb the CCP’s influence in the United States,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “The U.S. has a responsibility to lead the free world in standing up to authoritarian governments, and we applaud the House lawmakers who came together this week to do just that.”
As the Chinese Communist Party grows increasingly aggressive, pushing back against their authoritarian influence is critical to our national security as well as our allies’ national security. With Honor Action applauds House lawmakers for advancing these bills and strongly urges the Senate to pass them swiftly in a bipartisan manner.
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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at WithHonor.org
With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.