A bipartisan bill proposed on Aug. 22 by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) aims to enhance collaboration between companies across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia to better counter rising threats in the Indo-Pacific region via the AUKUS security pact.
“The Chinese Communist Party [CCP] is working at lightning speed — in collaboration with its friends in Iran, Russia, and North Korea — to outpace the free world’s defense production base and shape the future of warfare,” Rep. McCaul said. “The AUKUS security pact… is working to ensure the U.S. and our allies maintain the edge.”
“I’m proud to support the AUKUS Improvement Act [of 2025] to build on that momentum, deter CCP aggression in the Indo-Pacific, and help prevent a global catastrophe,” added the congressman, who cosponsored H.R. 5013 alongside bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI) and three other original cosponsors.
If enacted, H.R. 5013 would exempt entities already vetted by the U.S. State Department as AUKUS Authorized Users from the Third Party Transfer requirement for Foreign Military Sales to help make improvements to the AUKUS partnership, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.
“This smart, bipartisan, bicameral legislation will make it easier for our nation’s defense industrial bases to work together to build the next generation defense technologies needed to counter a rising China,” said Rep. Amo.
H.R. 5013 is the companion bill to the same-named S. 2130, introduced on June 18 by U.S. Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and Tim Kaine (D-VA).