FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sara Robertson (Sara.Robertson2@mail.house.gov)

Rep. Crawford Selected as Conferee for China Legislation

4/7/2022

Washington — Today, Representative Rick Crawford (AR-01) was named as a conferee for the COMPETES Act, which is legislation intended to strengthen American industrial capacity to push back against China’s aggressive campaign both to steal our nation’s industrial and scientific trade secrets, and to control global supply chains in key sectors of the economy.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the biggest geopolitical threat our country faces. It has monopolized supply chains, unleashed a pandemic that has cost us almost one million lives and devastated our economy, and continues to engage in industrial espionage and theft of our intellectual property. In China, it continues its massive military build-up, in part via US technological knowhow; and it carries out egregious human rights violations against religious minorities. 
 
Leader Kevin McCarthy has selected a strong group of Republican conferees who will work to produce bipartisan China legislation that is worthy of Congress’ support.

“The threat of the Chinese Communist Party is at our doorstep and we must be aggressive in our response to their malicious behavior. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work on this vital piece of legislation and to ensure that it protects our nation’s agriculture and manufacturing sectors,” said Rep. Crawford.

Leader McCarthy added: “Countering the Chinese Communist threat is the single most pressing issue we can undertake in this Congress. We cannot continue to choose inaction or a weak approach if we want to secure a revitalization of our domestic manufacturing and bring those jobs back to the United States. This Congress cannot bend or bow to China’s lobbying efforts. We need strong voices in this process who will put American interests above all else. I am confident these members will never waver in their commitment to only advance legislation that will help our national security, protect our economic prosperity, and that will hold the CCP accountable.”

Background:

Conferees are Members of Congress who are selected by leadership to negotiate differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill. When a similar bill has passed in the House and the Senate, the Conferees meet and negotiate a merged version of the bill called a ‘conference report’. The report is then sent to both the House and Senate for a vote on final passage. 

Rep. Crawford is a Senior Member on the House Agriculture, Intelligence, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees; and a vocal critic of China’s malign influence on our nation and America’s allies.

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