WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) released the following statement following his vote against H.R. 4521:
“The legislation passed through the House today does nothing to confront or combat China and instead fails to protect and promote American interests and competitiveness against the growing threat of the Chinese Communist Party. Unfortunately, this hyper-partisan legislation—that was pushed through without input from my Republican colleagues—wastes billions of dollars and irresponsibly expands Washington control by using existential problems as an excuse to fund other measures unrelated to focusing on core U.S. national interests. This is not a serious attempt at confronting China.
“The Democrats’ all-talk bill is riddled with a laundry list of requests for a ‘strategy’ and requirements to file ‘reports,’ none of which address the real problem or contain any serious or substantive action. The Chinese government does not respond to paperwork and bureaucracy—they will cut our legs out from under us while we spend years trying to study the problem. This weak legislation is a missed opportunity to show that we are serious about countering China’s threat to American safety, security, and way of life, and this bill does not put Americans first. If the Speaker and House Democrats are serious about passing a bipartisan bill that would promote American interests globally, they would work across the aisle with the countless Republicans willing and able to do so.
“China currently presents the most significant threat to the United States’ global primacy, yet this bill does nothing to enforce our sanctions, laws or increase our military strength. Diplomatic, economic, and communicative tools are all important items, but we must always be prepared for the high-end of conflict. The China Task Force, of which I am a member, released a report with a comprehensive blueprint on how the United States can successfully compete with the CCP and hold China accountable through a whole-of-government framework. However, this bill fails to include many of these bipartisan recommendations that would more directly counter China’s malign influence in the U.S. and abroad.
“One of the most troublesome aspects of this toothless legislation is the lack accountability measures in place to hold China accountable for their role in the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this week, Democrats rejected the inclusion of my legislation, The World Deserves to Know Act, which would hold China accountable and get to the truth behind the pandemic with a free and fair investigation. If House Democrats are serious about holding China accountable for their part in this pandemic that has caused over two years of disruption, fear, and frustration, the inclusion of my legislation should be a no-brainer. It is clear that the Democrats are unwilling to hold China accountable or take the necessary steps to defend America.”
