Confronting
China
is at the top of the
GOP
‘s congressional agenda this year, and as one of its first acts, the party is working with Democrats to create a panel addressing the adversary’s growing influence.
The Select Committee on China may be a rare opportunity for lawmakers to work in a bipartisan way to take a harder line against
Beijing
. House Speaker
Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
is behind the resolution to establish the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and China. The California Republican has appointed
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI)
to chair the new panel this session of Congress.
NEW HOUSE COMMITTEE FOCUSES ON CHINA THREAT
Gallagher has said the Chinese Communist Party is “the greatest threat to the United States” and that “even in a divided government, we have an opportunity to build a united front against CCP aggression.” McCarthy said the idea of creating this new committee came on a CODEL trip to Normandy last year.
“Could we have a bipartisan committee that could look at all aspects, from economics — where when we fell into COVID, not knowing whether we could have our medical supplies because China controlled so much. We learned of the farmland they are buying today. The stealing of our intellectual property — but we weaken ourselves when we fight which way to do it. Wouldn’t it be better if we all came together?” McCarthy asked rhetorically on the floor of the House on Tuesday.
“You have my word and my commitment. This is not a partisan committee. This will be a bipartisan committee. That is my hope, my desire, my wish — that we speak with one voice,” McCarthy added.
While the new Republican leaders of the House plan to challenge
Democrats
and the
Biden administration
, the issue of China’s rise could unite the two parties, as lawmakers take an increasingly hawkish approach toward China.
President Joe Biden
has kept
former President Donald Trump
’s tariffs against China in place. The Biden administration
has also blocked
the country from receiving computer chip technology. Additionally, both parties supported
a law
against using products made by forced labor.
In a
joint op-ed
with McCarthy last month, Gallagher said the committee would work to restore supply chains and end critical economic dependencies on China, strengthen the U.S. military stationed nearby, and end the CCP’s theft of American personal data and intellectual property. Additionally, Gallagher said he plans to contrast the regime’s “techno-totalitarian state with the values of the Free World.”
McCarthy has pushed to establish a select committee on China in the past, proposing the bipartisan China Task Force, but ultimately, Democrats declined to participate. The panel developed plans to examine and confront threats from the CCP to U.S. national security. The House Foreign Affairs Committee released a
China Task Force report that
included a series of recommendations in the form of mostly bipartisan bills.
“I can’t emphasize how critical it is that we establish a committee solely focused on our greatest global adversary this century,” said
Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL)
, a member of the Armed Services Committee who has been very outspoken about the looming threats the U.S. is facing from China.
“The Chinese Communist Party is in a cold war with the United States, and we as a country need to wake up to that reality. I have the utmost confidence soon-to-be Chairman Gallagher will investigate CCP influence across American society and identify solutions to get our supply chains out of China,” Waltz said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
The committee will be composed of seven Republicans and five Democrats. It will be up to McCarthy to name the members on the committee after consulting with
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)
. Many Democrats appear to be supportive of the creation of the new panel.
“I applaud the speaker’s comments on wanting this to be an American strategy, not a Democratic or Republican strategy,” said
Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA)
, a member who previously served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA)
, the Rules Committee ranking member, said he intended to support the creation of the new committee but expressed some reservations on the House floor on Tuesday.
“Many of us have concerns about this turning into a committee that focuses on pushing Republican conspiracy theories and partisan talking points. We certainly do not want it to turn into a place that perpetuates anti-Asian hate,” McGovern said. “First, President Trump repeatedly mislabeled COVID with racist language. Such rhetoric coincided with spikes in hate-based acts of violence and discrimination against people of Chinese and Asian origin across our country. This language has no place on this committee or anywhere in Congress,” he added.
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Anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise since the beginning of the pandemic, according to a national survey conducted by AAPI Data and Momentive and cited by the
Brookings Institution
in May. McCarthy directly addressed McGovern’s concerns following the Massachusetts lawmaker’s speech.
“I listened to my friend, the gentleman across the aisle. I listened to your points of concern. Do not be concerned. Those are my same concerns, and they will not take place,” McCarthy said.
