Senator Dick Durbin, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement on Apr. 22 during a committee hearing titled “Stealth Stealing: China’s Ongoing Theft of U.S. Innovation.” Durbin criticized recent actions by the Trump Administration and outlined concerns about China’s approach to acquiring American technology.
The issue is significant as it involves economic security and national competitiveness, with intellectual property theft impacting jobs and innovation in the United States. The Senate Judiciary Committee plays a key role in shaping federal law and protecting constitutional rights through its legislative and oversight functions, according to the official website.
During his remarks, Durbin said, “The U.S. has long been the world’s leading innovator. From the light bulb and telephone to the semiconductor and gene editing, Americans have been at the forefront of many of the world’s biggest breakthroughs. But U.S. leadership in this area is never guaranteed.” He went on to say that President Trump has sought to freeze university research funding for top universities, which supports technological advancement: “Over the last fifteen months, President Trump has repeatedly taken actions that harm our innovation ecosystem… He [President Trump] has sought to freeze university research funding for our top universities—funding that helps develop the technologies of tomorrow that allow us to maintain our innovation and economic edge.”
Durbin also addressed tariffs imposed by President Trump: “But that is not all. He has imposed on-again, off-again tariffs with little regard to whether they target our allies or adversaries... And China is taking advantage of American chaos, doing whatever it takes to overtake our position as the global leader in innovation.”
He described how China uses various means—including economic espionage—to obtain foreign technology: “Several decades ago, China launched an ‘all of country’ approach to use all available means to acquire foreign technology...” According to Durbin, such activities cost between $225 billion and $600 billion annually for the U.S. economy.
The Senate Judiciary Committee serves as a standing committee with authority over judicial matters; it oversees federal law enforcement agencies and evaluates judicial nominations according to its official website according to its official website. The committee influences civil rights policy nationwide through its legislative responsibilities according to its official website.
In closing his remarks at the hearing—which was held in Washington D.C.—Durbin cautioned against targeting individuals based solely on descent: “We must ensure our efforts... are aimed at bad actors,” he said.
