U.S. Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) on Nov. 4 signed on as the lead original cosponsor of bipartisan legislation that would prohibit the use of funds made available under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to purchase, rent, lease, or otherwise obtain communications equipment or services that pose a national security risk.
Specifically, the American Telecommunications Security Act, H.R. 5871, which Rep. Womack introduced alongside bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA), aims to prevent the act’s funds from being used to purchase telecom equipment manufactured by Chinese firms, such as Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., and ZTE Corp., according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
“Communist China is actively working to target every aspect of American enterprise. The last thing we need is to give companies inextricably tied to Beijing’s espionage efforts access to critical U.S. networks,” Rep. Womack said last week. “It’s a glaring national security threat. Every action must be taken to secure our technology and telecommunications infrastructure.”
While the Federal Communications Commission in June 2020 designated Huawei and ZTE as national security threats and disallowed funds from its Universal Fund to be used to purchase equipment from them, the American Rescue Plan did not include similar language, according to the bill summary.
If enacted, H.R. 5871 would ensure that state and local governments across the country purchase equipment that maintains national security against foreign threats, the summary says.
“We cannot allow taxpayer dollars to be used to facilitate the People’s Republic of China’s surveillance campaign against America,” Rep. Luria said. “The extent to which these companies are complicit in Beijing’s espionage efforts are well documented. This bipartisan legislation mirrors existing provisions that safeguard American technology infrastructure.”
H.R. 5871 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee.