Sens. Cruz, Cotton, Hawley, Rubio Introduce Bill To Require CFIUS to Reexamine UK Status After 5G Decision

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) today introduced the Protecting America from Foreign Investors Compromised by the CCP Act. The bill would require the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review the United Kingdom's place on the foreign investment "whitelist" if the country allows China's Huawei to build portions of its 5G infrastructure. Parliament plans to debate Huawei's inclusion in the U.K.'s network today.

In general, the bill would amend the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act's "whitelist" requirements to include consideration of a nation's 5G infrastructure. It also requires the administration to report on how the United States government is coordinating with economic partners to develop alternatives to Chinese-owned 5G vendors.

Read the full text of the bill here.

"Huawei is a global espionage operation masquerading as a telecom company," Sen. Cruz said. "As a critical member of the Five Eyes alliance, Britain is putting the national security of the U.S. and our allies in jeopardy by allowing Huawei to build its 5G infrastructure. There is no way to protect a 5G network from compromise once a company like Huawei is inside. This legislation will help protect the U.S. against the dangers posed by deals such as the one our British allies are pursuing,"

"The United States values its special relationship with the U.K., but allowing Huawei into Britain's 5G infrastructure will have consequences across several sectors. Ultimately, protecting U.S. trade secrets from the Chinese Communist Party is our top priority." Sen. Cotton said.

"The U.K.'s recent misguided decision to allow Chinese telecommunications equipment into their 5G infrastructure puts the security and economic interests of the U.S. and our allies at risk. The U.S. must now reevaluate how we engage with our important ally, the U.K. Safe alternatives to Huawei are available from trusted vendors that are not state-directed or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party," Sen. Rubio said.

"We have a duty to protect our most strategically significant technologies, not offer them up on a platter to our adversaries. The UK should rethink its decision to work with Huawei, a company that commits IP theft and espionage on behalf of Beijing. Huawei's presence in the UK's 5G infrastructure threatens the security of both our countries," Sen. Hawley said.

Read Sen. Cruz's statement after Britain announced it would give Huawei approval to build its 5G network earlier this year here.

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