U.S. Reps. John Moolenaar (R-MI), Brian Mast (R-FL), Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Andrew Garbarina (R-NY) are urging the U.S. Department of Commerce to look into technological threats from China-based companies.
In a letter to Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick, the Congressmen asked that the Office of Information and Communication Technology and Service (OICTS) investigate adversary products in critical and emerging industries as a way to protect American from technological threats. The letter was also signed by U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI).
“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 every day Americans are protected from Beijing’s authoritarian ambitions,” Moolenaar, the chair of the House Select Committee on China, said.
In the letter, the Congressmen said the Chinese Communist Party has proven that it is willing to use companies as Trojan horses to achieve authoritarian gains. Businesses listed in the letter to investigate are either Chinese companies operating in the U.S. or owned by Chinese entities.
“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,” Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said.
The law makers said the investigation is a matter of national security.
“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 cyberattacks 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 Congressmen wrote. “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.”