The Select: A Weekly Committee Recap (Week of 12/2)
Welcome to The Select, a weekly newsletter on the work of the Congressional Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party led by Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI).
See below for this week's updates.
Select Committee on CCP Holds Hearing - "Rebuilding the Arsenal of Democracy: The Imperative to Strengthen America's Defense Industrial Base and Workforce"
On Thursday, the Select Committee held a hearing titled "Rebuilding the Arsenal of Democracy: The Imperative to Strengthen America's Defense Industrial Base and Workforce." Witnesses included Mr. Chris Brose, Chief Strategy Officer, Anduril, Dr. William Greenwalt, Non-resident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, Ms. Halimah Najieb-Locke, Vice President of Policy and Strategy, Entanglement Inc.
Watch the full hearing HEREor continue reading HEREfor highlights.
Moolenaar, Krishnamoorthi on DC Circuit Court Decision to Uphold TikTok Divestment Bill
Today, the DC Circuit Court upheld the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, rejecting TikTok's effort to overturn the law that was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. See statements from the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Select Committee below.
“Today’s ruling is a victory for the American people and TikTok users, and a loss for the Chinese Communist Party, which will no longer be able to exploit ByteDance’s control over TikTok to undermine our sovereignty, surveil our citizens, and threaten our national security. I am optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok to allow its continued use in the United States and I look forward to welcoming the app in America under new ownership," said Chairman Moolenaar.
“With today’s opinion, all three branches of government have reached the same conclusion: ByteDance is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, and TikTok’s ownership by ByteDance is a national security threat that cannot be mitigated through any other means than divestiture. It’s time for ByteDance to accept that the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which I co-authored, is the law of the land. Every day that TikTok remains under the Chinese Communist Party’s control is a day that our security is at risk.” said Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi.
House Passes Bill to Strengthen Enforcement of CCP Trade Crimes
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Protecting American Industry from International Trade Crimes Act, a bill introduced by Select Committee member Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) alongside Chairman Moolenaar and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi.
Companies based in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) frequently commit crimes violating U.S. trade laws including fraud, duty evasion, and transshipment which benefit the PRC’s non-market economy and undermine U.S. companies and workers. Countless Americans have lost their jobs due to this criminal activity. Despite the large volume of trade crime-related cases, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has under-resourced its prosecution of these crimes.
This legislation aims to combat these crimes by directing the DOJ to establish a new structure dedicated to prosecuting international trade crimes. This will enhance U.S. capabilities for detecting, investigating, and prosecuting trade fraud, duty evasion, transshipment, and other trade-related crimes.
Read Chairman Moolenaar's full remarks delivered on the House floor before the bill's passage HERE.
Moolenaar, Krishnamoorthi Write to Webull CEO on Company's Deep Ties to the PRC
This week, Chairman Moolenaar and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi sent a letter to Mr. Anthony Denier, the President and CEO of Webull, a popular electronic stock trading platform that operates in the US, with concern regarding Webull's troubling ties to the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the risks those ties may pose to the security of American user data.
Read the full letter HERE.
Moolenaar on the CCP's Critical Minerals Export Controls
On Wednesday, Chairman Moolenaar issued the following statement after the Chinese Communist Party imposed restrictions on the export of gallium, germanium, and antimony to the United States. These minerals are critical to the production of semiconductors and other important sectors.
"The CCP’s decision to restrict exports of gallium, germanium, antimony, and other key high-tech materials to the United States reaffirms the urgency of reducing our dependence on imports from the PRC. The CCP sees trade as a weapon to coerce the United States and will utilize every point of leverage it possesses over American companies and supply chains. We cannot allow our supply chains to be at risk like this, and the Select Committee will continue to work on ambitious legislative solutions that secure critical minerals for our economy and national security.”
Moolenaar Urges Raimondo to Close Dangerous Loopholes in New Export Control Rules
On Thursday, Chairman Moolenaar sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo regarding the newly released December 2nd export control rule on American advanced semiconductor technology going to China. The Chairman wrote with concern that these rules create loopholes that will continue to allow Chinese bad actors to access US technology and raise questions about the undue influence of the semiconductor industry over the Bureau of Industry and Security's decision-making.
Read the full letter HERE.