Maritime Supply Chain Security Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROUZER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2390, the Maritime Supply Chain Security Act, takes a critical step toward strengthening our port infrastructure and national security by expanding the eligible use of the port infrastructure development program to include the replacement of Chinese port hardware and software, most notably Chinese cranes and the software used to operate them.

As we all know, our country's ports serve an absolutely critical role in our national supply chain, moving millions of tons of goods each year, facilitating trade, which supports American businesses and consumers across the country. Any disruption to these supply chains results in increased costs for American families and shortages of essential goods, just as we witnessed during and after the outbreak of COVID.

For economic and national security reasons, we must ensure our maritime infrastructure is not only state of the art and efficient but also secure from foreign threats.

Unfortunately, too many of our Nation's largest ports rely on ship- to-shore cranes manufactured by Chinese state-owned companies with Chinese-owned software. Reports indicate the software used in these cranes can be exploited for espionage, potentially transmitting sensitive data such as the location and movement of cargo back to Communist China. This information could easily be used to disrupt trade, track shipments of military equipment, or gain intelligence on U.S. supply chains, among many other concerns.

The port infrastructure development program, a competitive grant program administered by the Maritime Administration, can help address these concerns. Therefore, my bill, the Maritime Supply Chain Security Act, provides a clear directive allowing funds from this competitive grant program to be used to replace these Chinese-manufactured cranes and their associated software.

Taking this step is not just about upgrading infrastructure, it is about protecting our economy, safeguarding national security, and ensuring American ports remain under American control.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this very important piece of legislation.

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