Congressman Steve King releases the following statement after the House of Representatives Wednesday passed the National Defense Authorization Act, legislation which contains a King amendment that cracks down on China’s pervasive, oppressive, and ever-growing surveillance state. The NDAA conference report passed the House of representatives on a vote of 377-48, with Congressman King voting in favor of the legislation.
“I am pleased the House-Senate Conference Report for the National Defense Authorization Act passed the House of Representatives today with the King amendment included in the base text of the bill,” said King. “This means that the King amendment cracking down on the threat that China’s growing surveillance state poses to American national security interests is one step closer to becoming law. The Senate is expected to pass the conference report, and the President is expected to sign the bill when it is presented to him. Once those two remaining steps happen, the King Amendment will be the Law of the Land, and we will be one step closer to safeguarding our national security from the threat of Chinese espionage while simultaneously acting to protect the human rights of China’s persecuted ethnic and religious minorities.”
Congressman King’s China surveillance amendment requires the Department of Defense to conduct an annual assessment of China’s growing surveillance state, in order to identify the correlation between China’s expanding surveillance efforts and the threat it poses to United States national security interests. The King amendment will also require the assessment to determine the extent to which China’s surveillance efforts are being used by the Communist Chinese government to target China’s religious and ethnic minorities.
Other notable provisions included in the NDAA conference report include: 1) a 3.1% military pay raise for our troops; 2) the removal of House passed language which sought to prohibit President Trump’s ability to allocate funds for the construction of a needed Border Wall on the Southern Border with Mexico; and 3) the inclusion of $72.4 million as requested in President Trump’s budget for the establishment of the United States Space Force as a Armed Force within the Department of the Air Force.
Background:
In July, the House of Representatives passed the King China-surveillance amendment. The press release accompanying the passage of the King amendment at that time may be read at this link: House Passes King Amendment Targeting China’s Abusive Surveillance State.
Congressman King has also introduced legislation (HR 902) that is designed to provide redress to the holders of US intellectual property who have been victimized by Chinese theft. King’s legislation directs the President to impose duties on merchandise from China in an amount equivalent to the estimated annual loss of revenue to holders of U.S. intellectual property rights. The revenue raised by the imposition of duties on Chinese merchandise will be proportionally distributed to provide compensation to holders of United States intellectual property rights.
