Rubio Introduces Bill to Expose ‘Wealth and Corrupt Activities’ of CCP Leaders

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), chairman of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, speaks at a hearing in Washington on Feb. 27, 2019. Jennifer Zeng/The Epoch Times

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has introduced legislation to expose the wealth and “corrupt activities” of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its leadership.

The “Confronting Chinese Communist Party Malign Influence Act of 2024” was proposed on June 12. The legislation aims to make public the hidden wealth of CCP leaders and their malign activities.

“Our nation’s greatest adversary is Communist China and the American people must realize the complex reality a new world order, led by Beijing, would pose,” Mr. Rubio said in a statement in a June 12 press release. “Whether it be through economic, social, or military coercion, we are seeing an increased effort from China to displace our nation as the world’s leading power.”

The bill requires the director of National Intelligence to issue a public report within 90 days of its enactment about “the wealth and corrupt activities” of high-level Chinese officials, including CCP leader Xi Jinping, Politburo members, central committee officials, and regional CCP secretaries.

The legislation also mandates a hearing within 180 days about the report’s findings before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) introduced a companion bill in the House.

Mr. Rubio, one of the Senate’s most vocal critics of the Chinese regime, has proposed multiple legislation to counter the CCP’s influence in the United States. Last month, he introduced the China Exchange Rate Transparency Act, which aims to safeguard U.S. companies and workers from China’s currency manipulation.

In March, the senator introduced three bills to protect the American auto industry from China’s unfair trade practices. These include the Closing Auto Tariffs Loopholes Act, the Strengthening Tariffs on Chinese Autos Act, and the American Subsidies for American Autos Act.

In the same month, he also proposed the CCP Lobbying Divestment Act, which requires defense contractors to fire lobbyists representing verified Chinese military companies and human rights abusers. The legislation “would force lobbying firms to choose between accepting money from CCP or representing American companies.”

Legislation to Counter CCP Influence

In February, Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), chairman of the Republican Study Committee, introduced the Countering Communist China Act, calling it “the largest and most comprehensive legislation” to address the CCP threat ever proposed in Congress.

The legislation, supported by 45 original cosponsors, covers various critical areas of U.S. national security, including defense, intellectual property, investment, trade, supply chain, fentanyl, and education, among others.

“For years, Congress has been operating under the guise of friendship with—and dependence on—China, but the reality is that the CCP poses a greater threat to American sovereignty than any modern adversary,” Mr. Hern said in a press release.

“We must treat the CCP like the threat they are, and use every tool at our disposal to combat their influence in our schools and our government,” he said.

The legislation proposes investment restrictions on Chinese tech, military, and surveillance firms. Notably, it would end the trade status of permanent normal trade relations with China.

The bill addresses the fentanyl crisis in the United States by sanctioning Chinese officials and entities responsible for the flow of this synthetic opioid drug into the United States. It also encourages Americans whose family members died of fentanyl overdoses to sue Chinese officials.

According to an April report by the House Select Committee on the CCP, Beijing directly subsidizes fentanyl production and exports this deadly substance to the United States, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans in an effort to weaken and undermine the country. The report noted that fentanyl-related overdoses kill more than 200 Americans every day.

The bill aims to promote democracy in China by creating “Mandarin Chinese language social media accounts and radio stations to amplify the voices of Chinese people” who want to speak out against the CCP’s human rights violations. Furthermore, it aims to hold the CCP accountable for its abuses against ethnic and religious minorities.

In addition, the bill aims to encourage American businesses to produce medical supplies and drugs in the United States, reducing dependence on China. It also seeks to protect U.S. intellectual property against theft and call out the Chinese regime’s unfair trade practices.