Providing for Further Consideration of H.R. National Defense

Floor Speech

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Ms. TENNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment No. 860, which is a modified version of my bipartisan Stop the Chinese Communist Party Infrastructure Act.

There is a growing concern, and rightfully so, surrounding awards of costly and sensitive public works projects across the United States to companies affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, otherwise known as the CCP.

Bad actors have taken advantage of the availability of unaccountable Federal tax dollars. It is critical that Congress ensures that the Chinese Communist Party-linked entities do not receive these, or any other Federal funds for that matter, for primary or subcontracts to complete infrastructure projects in America or through the Department of Defense.

U.S. taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects should be held to a high standard of both quality and security. Public funds should not line the pockets of the Chinese Communist Party, which is engaged in a large- scale offensive against American national and industrial security or help fund the Chinese Government's continued human rights abuses.

While hardworking Americans struggle to make ends meet, Federal, State, and local governments have awarded major public works projects to the Chinese Communist Party-affiliated entities who have in turn produced lackluster results and cost the American people billions of dollars in the aftermath. The United States must do more to stand up to Communist China, while simultaneously bolstering our domestic construction and manufacturing industries.

This is why I submitted the Stop Chinese Communist Party Infrastructure Act as an amendment to this year's National Defense Authorization Act. This important legislation prohibits the Department of Defense from using Federal funds to enter, engage in, or award public works contracts in the United States to entities headquartered in China or affiliated with the Chinese Government or the Chinese Communist Party.

It is time for Congress to step up to the plate in support of American manufacturing and industry and against Communist China's gross human rights abuses and predatory trade practices.

Madam Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this amendment.

Madam Speaker, I also rise today in support of other amendments introduced in this year's National Defense Authorization Act.

The first amendment requires an assessment of the previous U.N. arms embargo on Iran as well as a report on what steps the Departments of Defense and State are taking now in the absence of the U.N. arms embargo to constrain Iranian arms proliferation.

The second amendment requires a report on the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operatives abroad, including the ways in which the U.S. is working with other nations to counter the threat that they pose.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, and yet, the IRGC-affiliated officials continue to operate freely and openly in many foreign countries, often under the auspices of Iran's illegitimate diplomatic operations.

Even here in the U.S., the Iranian regime is reportedly continuing its efforts to plan and execute attacks against former senior government officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The time is now for the United States to increase cooperation with our partners and allies around the world to address and expose the full range of threats posed by Iranian operatives.

Finally, my last amendment requires a report on the threat of aerial drones and unmanned aircraft to U.S. military bases both here and abroad. Every U.S. military base and installation should be prepared to detect, disable, and disarm hostile or unidentified, unmanned aerial systems. Sadly, we know many are not.

My amendment will be a significant step forward to ensure that the Department of Defense has the resources it needs to deploy unmanned traffic management, UTM systems, to protect our interests and personnel. The report is long overdue.

Madam Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support these amendments, and I thank the chairman and the ranking member for including these amendments.

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