Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4028) to require the Secretary of Commerce to report on and develop a whole-of-Government strategy with respect to the economic competitiveness of the information and communication technology supply chain, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4028.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4028, the Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act.

This bill would help ensure the United States remains a global economic power by providing Congress with valuable insights on the information and communication technology supply chain and a strategic roadmap for the entire Federal Government to strengthen the competitiveness of trusted information and communication technology vendors.

The bill accomplishes these important objectives by requiring the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress on the technology most critical to ensuring the continued economic success of the United States. It is also supposed to examine the ability and capacity of American manufacturers and other trusted vendors to produce this technology.

The report will be completed through the Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration. It will also identify how many of our country's communications providers depend upon untrusted vendors of this technology, and then it will outline actions the Federal Government can take to increase the support of trusted vendors and eliminate the support of untrusted vendors.

Finally, the legislation calls for the Secretary of Commerce to develop a whole-of-government strategy, along with recommendations based on the report. The strategy is meant to enhance the economic growth of trusted information and communication technology vendors, both in the United States and abroad.

Madam Speaker, the bill requires that the Secretary of Commerce consult with a wide variety of trusted information and communication technology vendors. It also requires the Secretary to consult with the heads of several government agencies, including the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Chair of the FCC.

By enhancing the global supply chain for trusted information and communication technology vendors, this bill would help strengthen the American economy and protect our country from nontrusted parties seeking to disrupt America's competitiveness in the information and communication technology industry.

Madam Speaker, I want to commend Representatives Spanberger, McNerney, Long, and Carter for their bipartisan efforts on this legislation. I hope we can come together to move the bill forward. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I ask if the gentleman is prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, again, this is part of our effort to enhance economic growth with regard to trusted communications vendors both here and abroad. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4028, the Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act, which was introduced by Representatives Long, Carter, Spanberger, and McNerney.

For decades, U.S. companies and their trusted partners have been at the forefront of wireless technology innovation. We led the world in developing 4G, and we are now in the process of deploying and refining 5G technology. While this work continues, we must ensure supply chain security is at the forefront.

China and other adversaries have made a concerted effort to dominate critical components of the communication supply chain. We have already seen how bad actors like China are trying to seed their equipment across the globe, create technological dependencies, and steal sensitive data to advance their own interests.

This bill, H.R. 4028, would direct the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA, to study the economic competitiveness of trusted information and communications technology vendors. NTIA would be charged with leading a whole-of-government strategy to ensure the economic competitiveness of trusted vendors and prevent us from being dependent on companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

Only with a comprehensive understanding of the problems we face, along with the strategy to address these problems, will we be able to secure our networks and ensure continued U.S. leadership.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Long), the sponsor of this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close.

As we have heard from our speakers today, it is absolutely essential that the United States leads when we are talking about telecommunication services and the supply chain because it is absolutely essential for national security.

I urge passage of the legislation in the House, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4028. This is legislation that I was proud to originally cosponsor with my good friend, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Long).

Madam Speaker, my colleagues on this side of the aisle are leading to secure our communications technology and supply chains with proposals like this, which would create a whole-of-government strategy. We need to make sure information technology supply chains are secure, and we need to know how dependent U.S. information and communications technology companies are on foreign countries like China.

To accomplish this goal, we must secure our communications supply chain by enhancing communication between the government and private sector on cybersecurity literacy and educating the public on cyber hygiene practices.

We know that investment in innovation and preparation for the security challenges of tomorrow's technologies are critical. Our Nation has, unfortunately, seen firsthand the disruption caused by attacks on American supply chains, critical infrastructure, and government computer systems in recent years.

That is why H.R. 4028 is so important. This legislation would direct the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to not just conduct a study but would require it to come up with a real solution to securing this critical supply chain.

This legislation would not only identify the risk but also develop a strategy to secure supply chains for information and communications technology. We must take our communications and technology supply chain seriously, and this legislation would do just that.

Madam Speaker, I urge swift passage of H.R. 4028.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4028, the Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act.

Currently, far too many U.S.-based information and communications vendors rely on technology from foreign sources. The Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act will require the Department of Commerce to assess the dependence of information and communications vendors on foreign technologies and create a whole-of-government strategy that will bolster the economic competitiveness of U.S. information and communications vendors and reduce their reliance on foreign resources.

With all the supply chain disruptions we have seen this past year, it is important to know how our domestic production of this crucial equipment can be strengthened in the future.

If passed, this piece of legislation brings us one step closer to making sure our Nation's information technology supply chains are secure and free from dependence on foreign countries, such as China.

We need to continue to work in a bipartisan manner to ensure that the whole-of-government strategy that is created through this legislation is properly implemented. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure this legislation becomes law.

I thank all of my friends across the aisle for helping us get to this point, and I look forward to getting this bill across the finish line.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.