Chairmen Moolenaar, Mast, Garbarino, and Crawford Ask Commerce Department to Investigate CCP-tied Tech Threats

Chairmen John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the Select Committee on China, Brian Mast (R-FL) of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Rick Crawford (R-AR) of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) of the Committee on Homeland Security sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick recommending the Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (OICTS) investigate adversary products in critical and emerging industries to protect everyday Americans from technological threats. The letter was also signed by Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI).

The CCP has proven its willingness to use its companies as Trojan horses to achieve its authoritarian agenda. The businesses listed by the Chairmen in the letter are either Chinese companies operating in the U.S. or owned by Chinese entities.

"CCP-backed companies have proven time and again to be direct threats to U.S. infrastructure. Investigating these sectors will combat the threats head-on and ensure that everyday Americans are protected from Beijing's authoritarian ambitions," said Chairman Moolenaar.

“Chinese companies will exploit every backdoor to compromise America’s technology and infrastructure. Beijing’s infiltration of connected cars, drones, and solar components shows why Congress must urgently codify this critical ICTS authority," said Chairman Mast.

"American national security increasingly depends on the entities that control the data, software, and digital systems that power national infrastructure. We have already seen through a variety of cyber-attacks against the United States that China views information technology as a battlefield. A compromised power grid, an infiltrated telecommunications network, or a manipulated industrial control system can pose as great a threat as a kinetic military strike," the Chairmen conclude in the letter. "The fusion of digital capabilities with critical infrastructure has whittled away geographic borders, as connected infrastructure or products can be controlled or updated by entities in another country. Without a concerted effort to create a secure technology ecosystem from the very beginning of each supply chain, our adversaries will continue to exploit our dependence on their technology to undermine U.S. economic and military stability."

Read the letter here.