Secure Our Ports Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to approve my bipartisan legislation, H.R. 252, the Secure Our Ports Act.

This bill is designed to strengthen our national security by prohibiting foreign adversaries from owning and operating critical infrastructure in the United States.

China's influence and access to critical infrastructure around the world continues to grow. Some reports indicate China owns or operates ports and terminals at nearly 100 locations in over 50 countries.

Last year, the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party issued a report highlighting its national security concerns over the influence of critical port infrastructure by Chinese-owned enterprise.

More recently, the Defense Department included a number of Chinese shipping firms to a list of companies it identifies as military in nature.

America's ports are essential gateways for trade and commerce which provide the foundation of our economy as well as our national security. Allowing foreign adversaries like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran to own and operate port infrastructure would threaten that very foundation and creates a serious liability. Congress must take action and protect this vital infrastructure by passing the Secure Our Ports Act.

In closing, I thank my California colleague, John Garamendi, for cosponsoring this bill and making the bipartisan effort as well as Carlos Gimenez of Florida.

I also thank the chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, my friend Sam Graves, for steering this bill through the Committee.

America's ports are vital to our economic and national security, and I urge all my colleagues to approve this bill.

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