WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill say the Chinese Communist Party is “waging a war without weapons” against the U.S.
“The adversary is already within, having entrenched itself within US borders, institutions, businesses,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) said during a hearing Tuesday.
A House Committee this week looked at how it says the CCP is doing that, from buying farmland to accessing U.S. shipping ports.
“This is a national security issue,” Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) said.
California Congresswoman Michelle Steel’s region has two of the biggest ports in the country: Los Angeles and Long Beach.
She’s sponsoring a bill to block Chinese state-owned companies from operating in U.S. ports. Her bill also restricts Russian, North Korean and Iranian state-owned enterprises.
Steel’s bill comes as a Congressional investigation found nearly 80% of cranes in U.S. ports are made by a Chinese company. It says that company has installed cellular modems on some of them.
“Who’s controlling it? China is controlling it,” Steel said.
The report says there is a “high risk” the Chinese government could manipulate those systems to disrupt critical infrastructure or spy on the U.S.
The Biden administration is also trying to address that risk. Earlier this year, it announced a $20 billion investment in port security measures, including domestic crane production.
“I don’t think it’s going to solve 100%, but you know what, it’s going to be really helpful,” Steel said.
Steel’s bill has ten co-sponsors. She said she hopes to see it move forward when Congress returns in November.
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