June 28, 2018

Statement on the Passage of Gallego Amendment to Protect DoD from Huawei and ZTE

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) released the following statement:

"Today, the House passed my amendment barring Defense Appropriations from being used to buy goods or services from ZTE Corporation or Huawei Technologies.

"ZTE and Huawei are Chinese state-owned companies that have proven themselves to be a chronic and consistent security risk to the Defense Department, high tech industry, and critical infrastructure over the past two decades. It is therefore imperative that U.S. taxpayer dollars not be spent to fund their intelligence gathering and industrial espionage on behalf of the Chinese government.

"Broad majorities of Democrats and Republicans in Congress know that China has led a dedicated and long-term campaign to steal American secrets, techniques, and know-how. This amendment is a small step in a larger fight to build a comprehensive strategy to defeat and deter Chinese attacks on our national and economic security.

"I look forward to continuing to work to secure DoD's supply chain and the security of American industry by ensuring that Chinese attacks on both do not go unnoticed or unanswered."