The Select: A Weekly Committee Recap (Week of 9/23)
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.
Moolenaar, Foxx Uncover that American University Research Aids Chinese Military
As first reported by the New York Times, on Monday, following a year-long investigation, Chairman Moolenaar and Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) of the House Education and Workforce Committee uncovered that hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. federal research funding over the last decade has contributed to China’s technological advancements and military modernization. Through nearly 9,000 joint research publications, funded by the Department of Defense or the Intelligence Community, the lawmakers discovered that Americans worked with Chinese researchers on strategic technology research, much of which has military applications. These papers covered topics like high-performance explosives, tracking of targets, and drone operation networks, nuclear and high-energy physics, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and hypersonics – the kind of technology that the Chinese military could use against the U.S. military in the event of a conflict.
In six case studies, covering research institutions including UCLA and U.C. Berkeley, the lawmakers illustrate how the People's Republic of China (PRC) defense and security establishment benefits from technological advances developed by federally funded researchers. Those six researchers leveraged expertise, applied knowledge, and practical capabilities developed through and during years of receiving federal funding to the PRC’s advantage, helping the PRC achieve advancements in fourth-generation nuclear weapons technology, artificial intelligence, advanced lasers, graphene semiconductors, and robotics.
The lawmakers also uncovered that US-Chinese joint education institutes like UC Berkeley’s partnership with Tsinghua University, and the University of Pittsburgh's partnership with Sichuan University, serve as conduits for transferring critical U.S. technologies and expertise to China, including to entities linked to China’s defense machine and the security apparatus it uses to facilitate human rights abuses.
Click HERE to read the report.
LOADED GUNS: Moolenaar, Krishnamoorthi Speak at American Enterprise Institute on Risk Posed by Certain Chinese Companies to U.S. National Security
On Wednesday, Chairman Moolenaar and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi participated in a bipartisan discussion at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) about the risk certain Chinese companies pose to U.S. national security.
The Chairman and Ranking Member each delivered opening remarks followed by a panel discussion moderated by AEI Senior Fellow Marc Thiessen and focused on several Chinese companies operating in the United States that could disrupt supply chains and steal American intellectual property.
Read Chairman Moolenaar's opening remarks HERE.
Infiltrating Our Institutions: Moolenaar, Foxx Speak at Alexander Hamilton Society Event on CCP Influence at U.S. Universities
On Monday, Chairman Moolenaar and Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) spoke on a panel at the Alexander Hamilton Society's event "Back in Class: Foreign Funding & Malign Influence on U.S. Higher Education"
At the event, Chairman Moolenaar and Chairwoman Foxx outlined the findings from their joint report, "CCP on the Quad: How American Taxpayers and Universities Fund the CCP's Advanced Military and Technological Research," uncovering that American university research aids the Chinese military.
"We've collaborated together on this report, which really looks at the STEM fields... high-tech research investments, and specifically research that was funded by the Department of Defense," said Chairman Moolenaar. "What we found was there were close to 9,000 joint technical papers presented with collaboration between Chinese and American university professors... There was research in sophisticated technology areas - AI, advanced physics - all these applications that can be used for military purposes, against American servicemen and women."
A recording of the event in full can be found HERE, with pictures HERE
World Order at Stake: Moolenaar, Krishnamoorthi Speak at Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation's Annual China Forum
On Wednesday, Chairman Moolenaar and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi spoke on a panel at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation's annual China Forum.
The Chairman and Ranking Member discussed historic and ongoing Chinese Communist Party repression and threats, both in China and abroad, alongside Dr. Adrian Zenz — Director and Senior Fellow in China Studies for the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
"The [Select] Committee has been a bright light in Congress... looking at this threat posed by China's military, economic and ideological aggression," said Chairman Moolenaar. "We've got a serious group of members of Congress thinking through what these challenges mean, and how can we prepare the United States to win this competition, because the world order that we benefit from and depend upon is at stake."
A recording of the event in full can be found HERE, with pictures HERE
Judiciary Passage of the Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee passed the bipartisan Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act out of committee with unanimous bipartisan support. Introduced by Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI), Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA), and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) earlier this Congress, the legislation aims to combat the fraud, duty evasion, and transshipment frequently committed by Chinese companies 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.
Click HERE to read bill text.
Moolenaar Requests Pentagon Blacklist for Chinese LCD & OLED Display Companies
On Tuesday, Chairman Moolenaar wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the growing threat to U.S. economic and national security posed by Chinese state-subsidized LCD (liquid crystal display) and OLED (organic light emitting diode) companies, BOE Technology Group and Tianma Microelectronics Co.. While LCD and OLED are common technologies found in televisions and similar devices, Moolenaar highlights the technologies’ critical role in our own weapon systems and notes that BOE and Tianma have accumulated large amounts of the global display market through state subsidies, posing a supply chain risk for our military. Moreover, Moolenaar exposes BOE and Tianma’s deep connections to the People’s Liberation Army through their parent companies and participation in military-fusion zones in China.
View Moolenaar’s letter to Secretary Austin HERE.
Moolenaar, Rubio Introduce Bill to Revoke Capital Gains Rate for Investments in Communist China
On Thursday, Chairman Moolenaar and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the bicameral Patriotic Investment Act to prevent the U.S. tax code from rewarding investments in Communist China.
Many Wall Street financial firms choose to invest in Communist China, pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into enterprises that maintain Communist China’s military, rely on slave labor, and violate trade rules to dismantle American businesses and jobs. This benefits neither the American people nor the American economy, and threatens U.S. national security.
Nonetheless, the U.S. tax code rewards these investments with a generously low capital gains tax rate.
Read the bill HERE.
Moolenaar, Krishnamoorthi Request Fairfax County Cease Using CCP-Aligned DJI Drones
As first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, today, Chairman Moolenaar and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi wrote to the Board of Supervisors of Fairfax County, VA about the county’s use of Chinese-made DJI drones. DJI is on multiple federal government lists for its potential to spy on U.S. soil, its deep ties to the Chinese military, and its work to equip the CCP’s genocide against the Uyghur people.
Fairfax County, Virginia sits across the Potomac River from Washington DC and is home to many U.S. government leaders and sensitive national security sites like the Central Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
View the lawmakers’ letter to Fairfax County HERE.
Moolenaar, House Homeland Republicans Introduce Bill to Combat CCP Cyber Threat Actors
On Wednesday, Chairman Moolenaar and House Homeland Security Committee Republicans introduced legislation to combat growing cyber threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) against our critical infrastructure. Chairman Moolenaar and Representative Laurel Lee (R-FL) spearheaded the Strengthening Cyber Resilience Against State-Sponsored Threats Act that will establish an interagency task force led by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to address the cybersecurity threats posed by state-sponsored cyber actors associated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), including Volt Typhoon.
Additionally, the bill requires that the task force provide a classified report and briefing to Congress annually for five years on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations relating to malicious CCP cyber activity. Homeland Committee Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) also cosponsored the legislation.
Read a copy of the legislation HERE.