An exasperated Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) tweeted his frustration late Thursday after the Senate on a 91-4 vote adopted a measure that cuts U.S. tariffs on hundreds of products imported from China.
“What I want you to understand is this is not a minor security threat, this is the number one priority of Chinese intelligence, this is what all of their agencies and all of their government are geared towards doing,” Rubio said, referring to Chinese digital and human intelligence theft of American secrets.
The amendment was introduced by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and co-sponsored by Republican senators Charles Grassley of Iowa, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, John Barrasso of Wyoming, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Steve Daines of Montana, John Cornyn of Texas, James Lankford of Oklahoma and Todd Young of Indiana.
- First, it would break with precedent by establishing the first Inspector General for an office in the Executive Office of the President.
- Second, it removes tariffs on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), undercutting American producers who have made significant investments in capacity because of the pandemic.
- Third, the new enforcement tools given the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on digital trade do not meaningfully advance U.S. industry, and are supported by Google and other Big Tech companies as a means to evade foreign regulations and taxes.
- Finally, the amendment reauthorizes the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), which unilaterally reduces tariffs on thousands of products made in China.
The list also included clothing and apparel products, electric equipment parts and products, numerous automotive parts, and pumps, including Turbomolecular.
The U.S. imports an estimated $500 billion in products from China annually. That total would likely increase as a result of lowered or eliminated U.S. tariffs.
Schumer’s renamed bill provides extensive reforms in the National Science Foundation (NSF) and provides a massive increase in funding, from its present $8.5 billion annual budget by creating within it a new Directorate for Technology and Innovation that would receive $100 billion over the next five years.
“The bill gives the NSF the authority to provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information within the United States concerning the NSF’s activities and the results of those activities.”
In addition, the Schumer proposal would dramatically increase NSF’s work in the areas of critical technologies in the national security sector of advanced technology research.
The proposal also directs the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop on an annual basis “a strategy for the federal government to improve national competitiveness in science, research, and innovation to support the national security strategy.”
In addition, the bill directs the Department of Commerce to “(1) establish a supply chain resiliency and crisis response program to address supply chain gaps and vulnerabilities in critical industries, (2) designate regional technology hubs to facilitate activities that support regional economic development that diffuses innovation around the United States, and (3) award grants to facilitate development and implementation of comprehensive regional technology strategies.”
Schumer hopes to finish Senate consideration of his bill tonight, but if that’s not possible, the vote on final passage could be delayed into next week. Assuming it passes, it then will go to the House for consideration.
