U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) said the Department of Commerce continues to approve the majority of requests from China for technology and information, which he said poses a national security risk to the U.S., especially when considering the blurred lines between China's private and public sectors.
Steube is a co-sponsor of the Prioritizing National Security in Export Controls Act, which Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced in October, according to Congress.gov.
“I’m pleased to join Rep. Banks on this critical legislation," Steube said in a statement provided to Commerce Newswire. The Department of Commerce’s BIS has failed to prevent U.S. technology transfers to high-risk countries, like China. Moving export control authority to the Defense Department is an important step in prioritizing our national security and countering the threat of China.”
The bill aims to strengthen export controls and ensure that China doesn't acquire sensitive technology related to national security by transferring the responsibility of export control from the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which is part of the Department of Commerce, to the Defense Technology and Security Administration (DTSA), which is part of the Department of Defense (DOD).
Critics have accused the Commerce Department of prioritizing commercial interests over national security by approving almost all requests from China for technology and information related to semiconductors, aerospace, artificial intelligence and other materials, the Wall Street Journal reported.
In 2020 the U.S. exported a total of $125 billion worth of goods to China. Commerce Department officials required a license for less than one half 1% of those exports. Out of that 0.5%, the department approved 94% of requests for technology transfers to China, 2,652 requests. Critics have expressed concerns that these transfers could advance China's military capabilities.
Steve Coonen, the former top China export controls analyst at the Pentagon, said in 2021, “I have no problem trading with or feeding China. I have a huge problem with arming China.” He made the remarks after resigning over the policy, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Some observers are concerned that attempts to regulate or restrict the export-controls process will be pointless unless allies such as South Korea agree to enact the same policies.
Aligning controls with allies could take years, and some are concerned that because of the blurred lines between China's private and public sectors there is no guarantee that any technology sent to China will not be utilized by the military, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Bureau of Industry and Security “has struggled to reconcile its mission to protect U.S. national security with the Commerce Department’s objective of promoting U.S. exports. The dilemma is most acute when it comes to China,” Matt Pottinger, deputy national security adviser to former President Donald Trump, said to the Wall Street Journal.
Steube has represented Florida's 17th District since 2019, according to his website. He enlisted in the U.S. Army after 9/11 and served in Iraq. He then served in both Florida's Senate and House before being elected to Congress. He is a member of the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees.
