Dusty Johnson: “S. 149 is, in fact, a balance that modernizes our export control laws to account for the geopolitical, commercial, and…”

“S. 149 is, in fact, a balance that modernizes our export control laws to account for the geopolitical, commercial, and technological changes of this past decade. This bill recognizes that on occasion exports must be controlled for national security and for foreign policy reasons. S. 149 substantially increases the President's authority to impose controls when in fact they are necessary. I have great respect for the few opponents of this legislation. However, I believe it is a misstatement to suggest that this bill somehow diminishes our Nation's ability to control technology which needs to be controlled when in fact this legislation imposes greater controls where necessary and significantly increases penalties and decreases the likelihood of sales that are inappropriate. At the same time this legislation acknowledges that a vibrant American economy is a critical component of our national security. Senator Bennett, our friend from Utah, spoke eloquently to this point yesterday. Advancements in high technology allow us to 'run faster' than our enemies. To foster continued advancements, we must take great care not to punish American businesses by limiting unnecessarily their marketplace, if those same products will simply be provided by our foreign competitors. The observation is made, well, what about unique American technology? This legislation takes that into account.”