McCollum Opposition to H.R. 8333, H.R. 1516, H.R. 1398, H.R. 1425, H.R. 7980, and H.R. 9456

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to a slate of Republican bills offered this week that will do more harm than good in defending the United States’ interests from the Chinese Communist Party.

Immediately upon their return from the August district work period, House Republicans have picked right back up with their prioritization of political talking points over responsible legislation.  The Republican Majority is pushing forward a package of bills that revive failed programs, forgo due process, and undermine our academic institutions and domestic supply chains. Under the guise of deterring the influence of the Chinese Communist Party, the bills on the floor this week actually make it harder for us to protect national security interests and serve the interests of the American people. 

H.R. 8333, the BIOSECURE Act, lists specific biopharmaceutical companies that are subject to federal contracting bans with no clear indication of why those companies were chosen. The bill lacks any due process to add or remove a company as a “biotechnology company of concern.” This sets a dangerous precedent going forward for companies that find themselves listed in this bill - or any other similar legislation.

H.R. 1516, To establish Department of Homeland Security funding restrictions on institutions of higher education that have a relationship with Confucius Institutes, and for other purposes, defines any connection to a Chinese public school or university as a relationship that is a threat to U.S. security. It would bar Universities with any of these connections from receiving any funds from the Department of Homeland Security, whether that funding is for securing college campuses against possible school shootings or receiving financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after an emergency. 

The Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024, H.R. 1398, is equally irresponsible. The Republican Majority would revive a defunct program at the Department of Justice that failed to address any of the actual threats posed by the Chinese Government and only succeeded in ruining the careers of academics and scientists of Chinese descent. Discriminatory impacts aside, the bill is plainly redundant, as the Department of Justice already prosecutes cases of economic espionage and trade secret theft.

H.R. 1425, the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act hampers the United States’ ability to respond to emerging pandemics and undermines the Biden-Harris administration’s foreign policy agenda. House Republicans have introduced this bill under the pretense that any international agreement negotiated by the World Health Association (WHO) is an international treaty, however, this is patently untrue. This legislation would only create more barriers, red tape, and headaches for our country as we respond to developing health threats around the world.

H.R. 7980, the End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act, would threaten the viability of the EV tax credit for consumers created in the Inflation Reduction Act (Pub. L. 117-169). Congress has already set requirements for collecting the full $7,500 tax credit that strengthen the long-term EV domestic supply chain while also lowering our reliance on China. This bill would add additional requirements that are frankly unachievable and would virtually eliminate access to the EV tax credits that have helped thousands of people afford to purchase new EVs, saving Minnesotans money on gas and making the air in our communities cleaner. 

Finally, the Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024, H.R. 9456, undermines bipartisan-negotiated provisions from the Fiscal Year 2024 Consolidated Appropriations package that are helping to investigate national security threats from foreign investments into agricultural land, biotechnology, and other aspect of the agricultural industry. The Republican bill threatens to overwhelm the Committee of Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and undermine its ability to investigate and stop real threats. We should not be undermining established law voted for by House Republicans and Democrats

Mr. Speaker, the interference of the Chinese Communist Party, Russia, and other foreign adversaries poses real threats to our economy, our national security, and our democratic institutions. We need serious, deliberative, nonpartisan solutions to deal with these threats. Instead, the Republican Majority has brought bills to the floor this week that are ineffective at best and outright harmful at worst. I oppose all of these bills and I urge my colleagues to do so as well.