Congresswoman Tenney Participates in Hearing Highlighting US Competition with China
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24), member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, today participated in a full committee hearing focused on examining ways the United States can counter the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) growing influence in the science and technology spaces. The hearing also explored ways the United States can maintain our longstanding position as the dominant global leader in advanced research and development. During the hearing, Congresswoman Tenney highlighted the harm that China has caused through state-sponsored corporate espionage and by flooding U.S. markets with cheap, government-subsidized goods. Tenney also discussed the importance of ensuring that investments in science and technology do not only benefit affluent coastal metropolitan areas but boost activity in rural communities like New York’s 24th District as well. Congresswoman Tenney has been a leading voice in the fight to counter the CCP’s malign influence. She introduced the Stop CCP Infrastructure Act, which prohibits federally funded public works projects from granting contracts to entities affiliated with the Chinese government, the CCP, or those headquartered in China. Tenney also introduced the No Chinese Communist SUPRRISE Parties Act, which requires publicly traded companies to disclose their ties to the CCP. Finally, last Congress, Tenney introduced the bipartisan China Watcher Act to establish a “China Watcher Program” at the US Department of State. The program would commit resources and personnel to monitor and combat the People’s Republic of China’s malign influence across military, economic, and political sectors in foreign nations where the United States maintains vital interests. Tenney’s opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below: Thank you, Chairman Lucas and Ranking Member Lofgren, for holding this important hearing on U.S.-China competitiveness and thank you to the witnesses for your time and insight.
However, regions like upstate New York have suffered tremendous de-industrialization in recent decades, in large part because we allowed China to flood our markets with cheap, subsidized products. The rise of the Chinese Communist Party’s malign influence has harmed Americans. Its state sponsored espionage efforts have stolen American intellectual property and its unfair trade tactics have driven American industries out of business. Additionally, China is now leveraging its economic influence to spread its dangerous, anti-freedom techno-authoritarian model abroad. While the United States government invests heavily in research and development, private businesses invest roughly three times as much annually into research and development. Harnessing our dynamic private sector is what drove America’s historic success and it is what will continue to enable us to out-compete and out-innovate adversaries like China. To stay at the forefront of new emerging industries, the federal government must ensure its effort compliment those in the private sector. We must also ensure our investments are aligned with our national interests and consistent with scientific and technological best practices and not driven by woke politics. We can compete successfully by better aligning our resources, by rewarding organizations with a good track record of successfully commercializing technologies and by maintaining and strengthening proven policies like the R&D tax credit ### |