The 118th United States Congress saw its first bi-partisan legislation when House Republicans and Democrats came together on January 10 and voted, 365-65, in favor of creating the Select Committee on China Competition committee. The decision to set up the new body was supported by every Republican and more than two-thirds of the House Democrats. The committee will be chaired by Wisconsin Representative Mike Gallagher, a China hawk.
“Here’s the good news: There is bipartisan consensus that the era of trusting communist China is over. We spent decades passing policies that welcomed China into the global system. In return, China has exported oppression, aggression and anti-Americanism. Today, the power of its military and economy are growing at the expense of freedom and democracy worldwide,” said Kevin McCarthy, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, voted in support, but expressed concern that the committee might only focus on military competition with China and warned against fueling anti-Asian hate.
“It is time to push back against the Chinese Communist Party’s aggression in bipartisan fashion, and today’s overwhelming bipartisan vote to create the Select Committee on the CCP is an important step in that direction. The next step is to populate the committee with serious members on both sides and get to work with a sense of urgency,” said Representative Mike Gallagher in his press release.
