MIKE GARCIA DISCUSSES THE THREAT OF THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY

Representative Mike Garcia (CA-25) released the following statement and spoke on the House Floor to address the threat of the Chinese Communist Party and the America “Concedes Act”, or H.R. 4521.

“The partisan America Concedes Act fails to properly address the threat the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) poses to America and prioritizes the interests of the Chinese Communist Party. This bill does more to put China first than help America. The “America Concedes Act” not only supports China, but it would cost at least $250 billion and add to our already sky-high national debt. We must stop passing bills that threaten America’s security and economy. This legislation is a guaranteed path for the federal government to surrender our competitive edge to the Chinese Communist Party. America can't afford this.”

Garcia offered an amendment to H.R. 4521 that would’ve prevented any funding from the bill going towards research connected to the CCP but the Democrats blocked his amendment.

He offered a second amendment that would prohibit any provisions in the bill from taking effect until the Secretary of Energy & federal agencies can verify that they will not reduce American energy security or independence. This amendment was also blocked by the Democrats.

Remarks as Delivered:

The Chinese Communist Regime under Chairman Xi is certainly our greatest opponent. Chairman Xi’s vision and mission are to eliminate the United States by 2050 and his investments are aimed towards this end.

The CCP is not on our team, and we should not encourage competition from China, as the White House has stated.

In many domains, they are outpacing us— In lower altitude hypersonic weapons development, in the advancement and proliferation of high-altitude nuclear ICBM’s such as the DF41, in the space domain, in the cyber domain, in shipbuilding (they are currently building 2 ships per month), in the construction and networking of UAV’s or unmanned aerial vehicles, in the advancement of low observable fighter jets both in terms of capacity, as well as capability. China certainly is our greatest threat. They are not on our team. And their progress and their advantages are designed to be used against us in a coordinated fashion in all of those domains.

But the single biggest threat to our nation is not China alone, it is our own weaknesses within. Weaknesses from people who are supposed to be on our team. Weaknesses from those who seek to cooperate and profit from the CCP’s behavior that ultimately enables the CCP in their atrocities.

Those who may chastise the CCP with Twitter posts but in the same day enable them with joint ventures. Small words compared to large supporting investments or bills, such as the one brought to the Floor this week.

This is exactly what Chairman Xi wants— big carrots and small sticks.

We must disentangle all of our interests from China. But above all things, we must disentangle our corporate interests from China as soon as possible.

Disentanglement takes courage, which is often not present in most boardrooms, and certainly not present in our own Treasury Department. American corporations and our own Treasury are exchanging their own long-term security, our collective security, for the short-term high of profits and business in a market that they’re seeking for long term gains.

These corporate leaders think they’re fishing in knee-high water in a trout farm. But in reality, that market space is filled with piranhas, leeches, and sharks. And the bare and bloodied ankles of our economy and our intellectual property and technology are now fully exposed to these very intelligent predators.

The Chinese Communist Party is not on our side, and our greed, our own willingness to compromise the integrity of our business ethics in order to profit from endeavors with China are indeed our greatest weakness— I would say our greatest threat.

We cannot afford to profit from selling the rope to China that will ultimately be used to hang us in 2050.

Garcia serves as the Co-Chair of the China Task Force. He has repeatedly called for America to surpass China.