U.S. Representatives John Moolenaar and Mark Green have expressed concerns about the increasing boldness of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in light of recent reports involving Chinese hackers. The congressmen called for stronger deterrence measures against the CCP in a Fox News opinion piece published on December 16.
"The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is growing more brazen by the day in its aggressive spying right here in the United States and pre-positioning for cyberattacks on our critical infrastructure," said U.S. Reps. John Moolenar and Mark Green, Chairman of House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Chairman of House Homeland Security Committee. "Recent reporting that China-sponsored hackers compromised America's major cellular network providers should be the last straw. It is time for Congress and the incoming Trump administration to impose escalating costs to deter the CCP."
According to Moolenaar and Green, hackers sponsored by China "compromised" over a dozen telecom providers, gaining access to data such as live phone call audio and text messages from "millions of Americans." They noted that while the total number of victims remains unknown, China attempted to target high-profile individuals including President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, and staff members from Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
In February 2023, a spy balloon incident further heightened tensions between the U.S. and China. According to the New Yorker, the Biden Administration said it was part of a larger Chinese surveillance-balloon program. In contrast, the Chinese government accused the U.S. of overreacting.
ABC News reported that China's espionage activities have collected data from thousands of U.S. mobile phone users. U.S. officials believe this is part of a broader intelligence operation aimed at exploiting vulnerabilities in American communication networks. The focus has been on specific communications involving a small number of "important, high-profile" American citizens.
Moolenaar represents Michigan’s Second Congressional District and serves as Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. He is also Michigan’s senior member on the House Committee on Appropriations.
