Political Quotes

“And I rise in support of H.R. 1189. The United States faces a strategic competitor in China that, as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has stated, ``is determined to overtake U.S. technological leadership and willing to devote nearly limitless resources to that goal.'' This technological competition will have a tremendous impact on our national security and economic interests. Beijing is trying to take the lead in building the world's digital infrastructure as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. Increasingly, this push includes a focus on undersea cables, which carry over 95 percent of all international internet traffic, according to a recent Reuters report. These cables transmit mundane things like emails and Facebook postings, but they also transmit more sensitive things such as financial transactions, as well as proprietary information or government secrets. It is in our interest and in the interest of our partners and allies that these crucial data pathways are not vulnerable to attacks and espionage, which is harder to do if they are built and operated by PRC entities. We got an example of that last month when two communications cables that connected Taiwan to two of its islands were cut by civilian PRC vessels, disconnecting 14,000 residents from the internet.…”