Representative Tran Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Chinese Communist Party Influence, Strengthen American National Security
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Derek Tran (CA-45), Don Bacon (NE-02), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), and Pat Harrigan (NC-10), introduced the Combating Chinese Communist Party Influence Act to analyze the threat of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) growing global influence. The bill directs the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to assess the CCP’s foreign malign influence activities and their implications for American national security.
View the full text of the bill HERE.
View a one-pager of the bill HERE.
"To effectively combat the threat of the Chinese Communist Party, our national security officials need the best possible information about the CCP’s growing threat to American security, our alliances, and our economic interests. The Combating Chinese Communist Party Influence Act will ensure that our intelligence officials and policymakers have the clear, evidence-based picture they need to protect the American people,” said Representative Tran. “I’m proud to lead a bipartisan group of lawmakers in this effort to safeguard our national security and limit the global influence of the Chinese Communist Party.”
“The Chinese Communist Party continues to influence and weaken democracies around the world,” said Representative Strickland. “The Combating Chinese Communist Party Influence Act allows Congress to understand their influence and act accordingly.”
"The Chinese Communist Party is waging a quiet war on American influence, and most people have no idea how far it has reached. From the Indo-Pacific to Latin America to Europe and Africa, the CCP has been systematically working to undermine our alliances, manipulate financial systems, and erode confidence in the United States around the world," said Representative Harrigan. "The Combating Chinese Communist Party Influence Act forces our intelligence community to pull back the curtain, producing a comprehensive assessment of every avenue of CCP malign influence so Congress can finally act with the full picture in front of us. I’m proud to co-lead this bill because the first step to winning this fight is understanding exactly what we are up against."
“The CCP is aggressively expanding its influence across the globe through cyberattacks, disinformation, and political pressure. After the CCP hacked into my own email accounts, I know firsthand how aggressive these operations can be,” said Representative Bacon. “I’m pleased to join Rep. Tran and my colleagues in introducing the Combating CCP Influence Act to ensure Congress has a clear understanding of the CCP’s expanding global influence and the threats it poses to the United States and our allies. Our bipartisan bill requires a coordinated intelligence assessment so policymakers can better identify these activities and respond to them.”
The Combating Chinese Communist Party Influence Act would require a comprehensive analysis on the CCP’s activities in strategically important regions and how its influence operations have affected our alliances, shaped international perceptions of the U.S., and impacted our national security. As the CCP expands its reach – including by threatening Taiwan and forging military and trade ties in Latin America – this bill would provide policymakers with the critical information needed to counter its malign influence worldwide.
“It is no secret that the Chinese Communist Party has a long-standing, organized global campaign to promote lies and false narratives aimed at undercutting American credibility. Our intelligence community has an obligation to protect the American people and our credibility, and the Combatting CCP Influence Act ensures they are assessing the damage these influence operations cause, so that we can effectively combat and counter these actions,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor. “With Honor is proud to endorse this bill, and we thank For Country Caucus members Reps. Derek Tran, Don Bacon, and Pat Harrigan, as well as Rep. Marilyn Strickland, for their commitment to defending American credibility abroad.”
National security is a top priority for Representative Tran. Tran voted in favor of H.R. 881, the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act, to safeguard U.S. research and innovation from intellectual property theft by the CCP. Representative Tran is also a member of the powerful House Armed Services Committee, which oversees the Department of Defense and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region, and serves as Co-Chair of the House Democratic National Security Task Force.
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Congressman Derek Tran represents California’s 45th Congressional District. Serving his first term in Congress, Congressman Tran is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Small Business Committee, where he is Ranking Member of the Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee. Congressman Tran is the son of Vietnamese refugees, a Veteran, and fought for consumers as an attorney before entering Congress.