Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1149) to establish certain reporting and other requirements relating to telecommunications equipment and services produced or provided by certain entities, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. 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 this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1149, Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act.

The Chinese Communist Party, as we all know, weaponizes every tool at its disposal, whether it is intellectual

property, a balloon, or a social media app. That is why it is no surprise that CCP-controlled companies like Huawei pose risks to our national security and why it is important that we do not allow ourselves or our allies or partners to be duped by the seemingly low- cost, state-backed telecom companies like Huawei.

It might seem cheap, but the fact is the cost is much higher than many realize. You pay by allowing the CCP to control all of your telecommunications data, which, as history has shown, it can and will use against you. China has made no bones about that.

What does this bill do? It requires, number one, the State Department to conduct a risk assessment and report to Congress on the presence of any untrusted telecommunications equipment or vendors like Huawei in the networks of defense-allied countries.

Number two, it requires the Government Accountability Office to report on Chinese and Russian telecom suppliers serving U.S. embassies overseas.

Number three, finally, the bill tasks the State Department with identifying telecom infrastructure projects that would strengthen U.S. national security.

Three worthy goals.

The United States has to be a leader on this front. We need to help our allies and our partners end their dependence on problematic companies like Huawei that are in the pocket of our adversaries. It makes no sense whatsoever.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Wild) for her leadership on this issue and for working together on this important bill, which deserves our unanimous support, in my opinion.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Financial Services,

Washington, DC, March 14, 2023.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman McCaul: Thank you for consulting with the

Committee on Financial Services regarding H.R. 1149, the

Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act. I agree

that the Committee shall be discharged from further

consideration of the bill so that it may proceed

expeditiously to the House Floor. The Committee takes this

action with the mutual understanding that, by foregoing

consideration of H.R. 1149 at this time, we do not waive any

jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or

similar legislation, and that the Committee will be

appropriately consulted and involved on this or similar

legislation as it moves forward. The Committee also reserves

the right to see appointment of an appropriate number of

conferees to any conference with the Senate involving this or

similar legislation, and we request your support for any such

request.

Finally, as you mentioned in your letter, I ask that a copy

of our exchange of letters on this bill be included in your

Committee's report to accompany the legislation, as well as

in the Congressional Record during floor consideration

thereof.

Sincerely,

Patrick McHenry,

Chairman,

Committee on Financial Services.

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

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, telecommunications and the secure transfer of electronic data are absolutely critical. I don't think I have met somebody that disagrees with that in today's world. They are critical to our national security and to our economic well-being.

We don't want to get on a website that we think is unsecure. We don't want to reply to a text that we think comes from an untrusted number.

We cannot afford the vulnerability that comes from giving control of this technology to the Chinese Communist Party or other malign actors.

H.R. 1149 will help us get a handle on those vulnerabilities, forcing the Department of State to formulate an effective response.

Again, I thank Ms. Wild for introducing this measure. I urge unanimous support for this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act, and I thank Representative Susan Wild for her strong leadership on this very important piece of legislation.

Telecommunications security is a pillar of our national security. If an adversary can partially or fully shut down your mobile network, then they have tremendous leverage over your diplomatic, economic, and security matters. If an adversary can tap into your networks through back doors built into network equipment, then phone calls on national security matters can and will be surveilled.

Given these dangerous vulnerabilities, it is crucial that Congress and the executive branch fully understand the risks.

The Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act will require additional reporting and analysis on the safety of our communications in embassies around the globe where, by necessity, communications will often need to be routed through equipment produced by PRC companies like Huawei and ZTE.

The legislation also calls for reporting on the use of unsafe telecommunication equipment by countries with whom we have mutual security pacts. We need to be able to communicate securely with our allies and partners around the world. Crucially, the legislation also authorizes the State Department to engage in telecommunications security activities.

Notably, one section of the bill, unfortunately, was removed from the version of this legislation that passed the House overwhelmingly last Congress and that passed out of the Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this year. That section would require publicly traded telecommunications operators to disclose their use of unsafe PRC telecommunications equipment.

I know, and I believe, that this is important information for investors to know, given the sanctions and export controls currently imposed on these vendors. It is also crucial national security information.

Unfortunately, the Financial Services majority asked us to remove this section due to their disposition against explicit additional securities disclosure requirements.

While I accept their jurisdictional claim, the disclosure requirements in this legislation were modeled after a Republican bill on Iran, and I believe they would provide important information for investors and bolster national security. Representative Wild is not pushing immediate, aggressive sanctions. The removed section represented a sensible, middle-ground approach.

Given the widespread bipartisan agreement on many issues pertaining to China, I look forward to working with all of my colleagues across the aisle on both committees to find a mutually agreeable solution to this issue.

Even with the financial disclosures removed, though, the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act is important legislation that will move the ball forward on telecommunication security matters.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Wild), the author of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, Congresswoman Wild's very important legislation, the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act, will take tangible steps to improve our telecommunications security and, thereby, our national security.

I appreciate the bipartisan nature with which we have dealt with this bill in the 117th Congress and now are dealing with it in the 118th Congress, working collectively together for our national security.

I believe that this bill should have every Member's support, and I urge them to vote for the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1149, the Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act. I first thank my colleague from the other side of the aisle, Representative Radewagen, for co- leading this legislation.

This bill is proof and evidence that when it comes to national and economic security challenges, we can find common ground.

The purpose of the bill is simple: To investigate and respond to vulnerabilities caused by Chinese telecommunications companies in United States embassies overseas and among our close allies.

For far too long, the world has stood by as Chinese telecoms giants have operated as vehicles for the Chinese Communist Party to commit horrific human rights violations against the Uyghur people, to conduct mass surveillance and espionage, and to supply

technology to other repressive regimes around the world.

This bill takes critical steps to ensure that our telecommunications infrastructure requires the State Department to report on the United States collective defense allies that use untrusted telecommunication equipment or services in their 5G networks. Further, it mandates a report on telecommunication vulnerabilities in United States embassies overseas. Finally, it directs the Secretary of State to identify key telecommunications infrastructure projects designed to promote United States national security.

Securing these networks is imperative when it comes to national security and human rights, as well as for our economic security.

This legislation will help us ensure that the telecoms infrastructure of our country and our allies is secure and effective.

The Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support in the 117th Congress and passed the House by a resounding margin last September.

I urge my colleagues to reaffirm our commitment to securing our telecommunications network by again voting ``yes'' on H.R. 1149.

Mr. Speaker, had my vote for H.J. Res. 27, the ``Providing congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5 United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to ``Revised Definition of `Waters of the United States' '' been cast, it would be recorded as YEA. I would also like the record to show that had my vote for H.J. Res. 42, the ``Disapproving the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act'' been cast, it would be recorded as NAY. Further, had my vote for H.R. 1149, the ``Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act'' been cast, it would be recorded a YEA.

Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 187, NAY on Roll Call No. 188, and YEA on Roll Call No. 189.

Mr. Speaker, on the afternoon of April 19, 2023, I was unavoidably detained in my district. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Passage of H.J. Res. 42, and YEA on H.R. 1149.