Washington’s latest salvo in the US-China showdown: the House of Representatives greenlit a funding measure packed with ironclad restrictions on Beijing. From tightened export rules to slashed scientific ties, the bill charts a course for heightened vigilance against perceived threats from the People’s Republic.
Key allocations include a $44 million boost for the Bureau of Industry and Security—pushing its budget to $235 million—to rigorously police technology transfers. Another $16.4 million targets enforcement of anti-dumping duties, protecting American jobs from China’s alleged predatory tactics.
Procurement overhauls demand exhaustive vetting of IT supply chains for agencies including Commerce, DOJ, NASA, and NSF. No new systems until risks from adversarial nations like China are fully probed.
Collaboration curbs are stark: NASA and tech policy offices need Congress’s nod for any dealings with Chinese entities. Quarterly disclosures on official China trips ensure transparency, covering who went and why.
In energy realms, the legislation blocks Strategic Petroleum Reserve oil sales to CCP affiliates, bars Chinese and Russian citizens from nuclear sites, and halts Energy Department funding to risky foreign players.
Spanning multiple agencies from Commerce to EPA, the package draws praise from Rep. John Moolenaar, who slammed China’s exploitation of US openness. ‘This is a big step to secure our exports, fix trade cheats, and protect our resources,’ he declared.
The House Select Committee on US-China Strategic Competition, focused on economic, tech, and security challenges, drove these provisions. As bipartisan support builds, the bill underscores a pivot from engagement to strategic containment, aiming to diminish US vulnerabilities in an era of great power competition.
