Source: Blog – Alliance for American Manufacturing
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Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who heads the prominent House Select Committee on the CCP, isn’t backing away from holding China accountable for its coercive and manipulative economic practices.
House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) plans to push Congress to pass legislation in 2024 focused on reforming the U.S.-China relationship, based on the 150 policy recommendations his committee published in December.
The recommendations, many of which Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul proposed in testimony before the committee in February, call for the reformation of the de minimis loophole, enactment of the Leveling the Playing Field Act 2.0, and passage of country of origin labeling legislation, among other policies. Though Paul called the recommendations “game-changing,” he also urged the committee to set aside any effort to dilute Section 232 trade action or the initiation of a fast-track free trade agreement with Japan. Nonetheless, the committee’s focus on advancing legislation that truly tackles China’s threat has been a vital part of the effort to reset the United States-China relationship.
And, in a recent interview with POLITICO, Gallagher suggested that he’s not going to shy away from powerful legislative action like revoking China’s permanent normal trade relations with the U.S. — a move that would rectify a mistake that obliterated much of America’s manufacturing industry.
“There are certain things that require a machete… and then there are things that require a scalpel,” Gallagher told POLITICO. Both are needed “to successfully prevent a war with China in the near term, prevent China from controlling the commanding heights of critical technology in the midterm and win this new Cold War over the long term,” he continued.
The House Select Committee does not have legislative authority, but it has successfully shined a spotlight on the impact of China’s trade cheating on the American economy. As Paul notes in a recent blog, the committee has navigated a year of heightened partisan remarkably well to direct attention on both sides of aisle on Beijing.
“While attention to the U.S.-China relationship ebbs and flows—think of the ‘spy balloon,’ for instance—the structural challenges will always be there until we fix them,” Paul wrote. “That’s why the Select Committee’s work is so important.”
The challenge now ahead of Gallagher and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) is to get the House to bring a China bill to vote.
Listen in to the latest episode of The Manufacturing Report podcast for more of Paul’s thoughts on the House Select Committee’s work and what 2024 may bring.
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