Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, l rise today in opposition to House Republicans' Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The purported focus of this Select Committee is essential to the national security and economic vitality of the United States. Unfortunately, there is a consistent trend by some in the House Republican Conference, and unfortunately by many across the country, to use xenophobic rhetoric that enflames violence bias, and hate crimes against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

Let me be clear. The CCP has an egregious record on human rights and forced labor, especially regarding the Uyghur people. Additionally, the CCP consistently uses underhanded economic tactics like manipulating its currency, stealing intellectual property, and using unfair trade practices to undercut American companies and gain an unfair advantage in the global market.

The CCP's record does not, however, mean we should condone xenophobic rhetoric, fearmongering, or attacks on individual people and AAPI community in the United States. This is especially concerning after the recent spikes in hate crimes and violence against Asian Americans. In 2021, hate crimes against Asian Americans increased by 339 percent and in 2020 they increased by 124 percent.

Many of my colleagues across the aisle have invoked racist terms like ``the China virus'' to ignore our own responsibility to safeguard public health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the Trump Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's China Initiative profiled Asian American researchers in the United States as conducting espionage on behalf of the CCP. The China Initiative led to numerous false accusations, quashing opportunities for affected researchers, and failed to demonstrate any effective results until, wisely, Attorney General Garland ended this program.

It is necessary to grow the United States' global leadership and dedicate resources that strengthen our scientific enterprise, bolster research and development, grow our domestic semiconductor manufacturing base, and onshore critical supply chains. That is what Democrats did, in a bipartisan manner, last Congress by passing the CHIPS and Science Act. Unfortunately, most of my Republican colleagues opposed this bipartisan economic competition legislation when it passed the House and was subsequently signed into law by President Biden.

Under the leadership of President Biden, CHIPS and Science will put our nation on a path to reassert our international economic strength. Expanding the market for U.S. goods will help businesses grow in this country. Oregon exports everything from computer chips to potato chips, and more exports means more jobs at home. Competing globally necessitates a level playing field for all nations, including China. And when the playing field is level, America wins.

Although I remain hopeful that this Select Committee might be an important forum to focus on priorities for economic and national security priorities, we must make it clear that xenophobia, hate crimes, and stigma against Asian Americans have no place in our nation. I am heartbroken and infuriated by the violent attacks on members of our AAPI community and vandalism against AAPl-owned businesses.

Additionally, there are existing committees in the House with jurisdiction over the related issues that already have authority to examine and make progress on these important matters. And the Select Committee lacks legislative authority, so it will not deliver the solutions that House Republicans argue it will be working toward. Members of these existing committees have the experience necessary, many from our work last Congress on CHIPS and Science, to take the nuanced approach required to address these challenges. For these reasons, I cannot support the formation of this new Select Committee.

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