Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act, and I thank Representative Susan Wild for her strong leadership on this very important piece of legislation.

Telecommunications security is a pillar of our national security. If an adversary can partially or fully shut down your mobile network, then they have tremendous leverage over your diplomatic, economic, and security matters. If an adversary can tap into your networks through back doors built into network equipment, then phone calls on national security matters can and will be surveilled.

Given these dangerous vulnerabilities, it is crucial that Congress and the executive branch fully understand the risks.

The Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act will require additional reporting and analysis on the safety of our communications in embassies around the globe where, by necessity, communications will often need to be routed through equipment produced by PRC companies like Huawei and ZTE.

The legislation also calls for reporting on the use of unsafe telecommunication equipment by countries with whom we have mutual security pacts. We need to be able to communicate securely with our allies and partners around the world. Crucially, the legislation also authorizes the State Department to engage in telecommunications security activities.

Notably, one section of the bill, unfortunately, was removed from the version of this legislation that passed the House overwhelmingly last Congress and that passed out of the Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this year. That section would require publicly traded telecommunications operators to disclose their use of unsafe PRC telecommunications equipment.

I know, and I believe, that this is important information for investors to know, given the sanctions and export controls currently imposed on these vendors. It is also crucial national security information.

Unfortunately, the Financial Services majority asked us to remove this section due to their disposition against explicit additional securities disclosure requirements.

While I accept their jurisdictional claim, the disclosure requirements in this legislation were modeled after a Republican bill on Iran, and I believe they would provide important information for investors and bolster national security. Representative Wild is not pushing immediate, aggressive sanctions. The removed section represented a sensible, middle-ground approach.

Given the widespread bipartisan agreement on many issues pertaining to China, I look forward to working with all of my colleagues across the aisle on both committees to find a mutually agreeable solution to this issue.

Even with the financial disclosures removed, though, the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act is important legislation that will move the ball forward on telecommunication security matters.

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Mr. MEEKS. Wild), the author of this bill.

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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, Congresswoman Wild's very important legislation, the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act, will take tangible steps to improve our telecommunications security and, thereby, our national security.

I appreciate the bipartisan nature with which we have dealt with this bill in the 117th Congress and now are dealing with it in the 118th Congress, working collectively together for our national security.

I believe that this bill should have every Member's support, and I urge them to vote for the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act.

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