The Congresswoman Voted with Republicans & Democrats to Establish New Committee to Reduce U.S. Reliance on China, Strengthen American Competitiveness, & Combat Chinese Communist Party Aggression

Spanberger: “This New Committee Ought to Be An Example of Bipartisan Cooperation to Keep Our Country Safe”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today voted with a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House to establish the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Spanberger has warned about significant national security threats in the face of a rising and aggressive China. According to an October 2022 report from Forbes, Chinese government-linked company ByteDance — parent company of video app “TikTok” — ­­­planned unauthorized surveillance of U.S. users. Additionally, NBC News reported last month that Chinese government-backed hackers stole at least $20 million in U.S. COVID relief benefits, including U.S. Small Business Administration loans and unemployment insurance funds in more than a dozen states.

The Committee will provide new insights on how to end critical economic dependencies on China, strengthen U.S. military capabilities, restore domestic supply chains, protect the personal data and intellectual property of Americans, and hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable. The Committee will be chaired by U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08).

“As a former CIA case officer, I know that the Chinese Communist Party’s growing influence on the global stage poses a serious national security threat to the United States. Right now, the CCP is increasing military spending, CCP-backed companies are spying on U.S. citizens and companies, and government-sponsored hackers are stealing from American taxpayers,” said Spanberger. ”Congress must hold the Chinese Community Party accountable, preserve our global influence, strengthen American competitiveness, and protect the American people. These issues should not be areas of partisan disagreement. In this era of divided government, this new committee ought to be an example of bipartisan cooperation to keep our country safe.”

Specifically, the Spanberger-backed resolution establishes a new Select Committee that will be charged with investigating, submitting policy recommendations, and holding public hearings on the status of the Chinese Communist Party’s economic, technological, and security progress — as well as its competition with the United States. The Speaker of the House can appoint up to 15 Members or delegates to serve on the Committee — seven of whom would be after consultation with the Minority Leader.

BACKGROUND

Spanberger has long focused on protecting U.S. citizens and companies from surveillance threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party. In March 2020, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House passed her legislation to ban TikTok on Transportation Security Administration (TSA) phones.

And also in March 2020, former President Donald Trump signed into law Spanberger’s bipartisan legislation — the Secure 5G and Beyond Act — to protect the integrity of telecommunications networks here in the United States from foreign-based threats, including from Huawei and its 5G networks.

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