Washington, D.C.– U.S. Congressman Andy Barr (KY-06), House China Task Force (CTF) Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) introduced the China Task Force Act.  Over 137 bills and other provisions recommended by the CTF are included in this legislative blueprint to combat the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) economic, military, political and technological threat.  Two-thirds of these measures have bipartisan support and more than a third have already passed the House or the Senate.  Three of Congressman Barr’s proposals are included in the CTF Act, and they include:

• H.R. 7998, NIST COVID-19 Cyber-Security Act: Which would require the Director of NIST to issue resources and guidance to universities and research institutions to protect research, including COVID-19 research, based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. 
• H.R. 8163, the Countering China Through American Export and Competitiveness Act: This legislation would prohibit the American Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) from conducting large deals with Chinese State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), raise the dedicated amount for Ex-Im’s Program to counter China from 20% to 33%, and give Ex-Im the necessary tools to be more competitive against Chinese export credit agencies.
• H.R. 8198, the National Security Through America’s Resources and Permitting Reform Act of 2020: Supports the domestic production of rare-earth elements, critical minerals, and carbon from coal and coal byproducts which are used in advanced technology, clean energy development and military equipment such as the F-35 fighter aircraft. It is estimated that 80% of rare-earth minerals in the United States come from China. 

“The CTF provides a roadmap for confronting the CCP in a way that positions America to prevail in what will likely be a multi-generational struggle similar to the strategic battle fought with the Soviet Union during the Cold War,” said Congressman Barr.  “The threat the CCP poses to our country and the free world is not a Republican or Democrat problem, but an American challenge.  I will continue working in Congress to hold the CCP accountable for among other abuses, enabling the spread of the COVID-19 virus into a worldwide pandemic claiming over 200,000 American lives in 2020.”

“The malign behavior of the CCP poses a generational threat that demands urgent action,” said Chairman McCaul.  “We can no longer stand back as the CCP ramps up their military aggression, weaponizes the supply chain, and brazenly attacks the democratic values that underpin American society and global prosperity.  For more than forty years, we have tried to bring them into the family of nations as a responsible partner and only recently have we begun to change course and take on the CCP’s hostile ideology and actions.  I am pleased Leader McCarthy has introduced a compilation of bills recommended by the CTF that will help guide our foreign policy regarding the CCP for years to come and we should pass this bill as soon as possible this year.”

Congressman Barr was appointed to the CTF in May by Leader McCarthy.  Congressman Barr Co-Chaired the Task Force Subgroup on Competitiveness as well as the Subgroup on Economics and Energy.  The CTF unveiled their final report on September 30.