Ashley Hinson · TranslatePolitics.com

House of Representatives

Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act of 2026

2026-08-31

“I want this bill to pass. It will stop China from cheating on trade. China cheats a lot. They hurt workers here. My bill will help stop that. The government needs to do more to catch China cheating. We need to punish China when they cheat. Both parties should support this bill. It helps American workers and businesses.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the Protecting American Industry and Labor from International Trade Crimes Act. This bipartisan bill will finally hold China accountable for decades of evading U.S. trade laws through transshipment, duty evasion, and forced labor. The CCP's illicit practices are deliberately designed to take advantage of American workers and our businesses, undercutting American wages and gutting rural manufacturing towns that once thrived with good-paying jobs. The select committee on China uncovered trade fraud by Chinese auto manufacturer Qingdao Sunsong. Sunsong was using transnational shipment to evade our U.S. tariffs, forcing an Illinois company to lay off a quarter of its workforce. Just in May, a Canadian company, or actually two of them, paid the Justice Department $19 million after being caught evading customs duties for Chinese steel. This is not an isolated event but rather a part of a broader strategy by the CCP to dominate global markets, and they are doing it on the backs of American workers while perpetrating egregious slave labor violations. Despite the sheer volume of trade-related cases, the Department of Justice remains inadequately equipped to detect, investigate, and prosecute such offenses effectively. My bill will give the Department of Justice real tools to stop these blatant violations and ensure that penalties are meaningfully enforced. American workers have felt pain for decades because of Communist China's malfeasance. Now it is time for Communist China to face the consequences. This is a bipartisan opportunity to support American industry, reshore domestic manufacturing, and champion American workers. I am proud to lead this commonsense legislation with tremendous support from both Republicans and Democrats. I am grateful to have the support of China select committee Chairman Moolenaar and Representative Krishnamoorthi on this bill, and I deeply appreciate their collaboration. To get this done, there should be nothing partisan about delivering accountability for those who blatantly violate our laws and manipulate American workers. We have seen good progress on reshoring domestic manufacturing, but it is clear that current enforcement mechanisms aren't strong enough. We have more work to do. My bill will help keep that momentum alive while fighting against the bad actors who will stop at nothing to undermine our country, our businesses, and our hardworking families. Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation supported by union workers, steelworkers, and American workers.

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House of Representatives

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027

2026-07-22

“I want this change to pass. It will stop bad people from other countries from spying on our research. Taxpayers pay for this research. I want that money protected. Vote yes.”

“I want this amendment to pass. It will keep spies from bad countries out of our science labs. Our labs research important things. Our enemies steal our research. They use it to hurt us. We passed a law to keep them out of weapons labs. Now we need to keep them out of science labs too. This will help us win a very important AI race. This is a race we must win. I don't want our enemies to use our own labs against us. It's a threat. This amendment will close a big hole. It will make us safer.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Chair, this amendment would prohibit foreign nationals from designated countries of concern from accessing nonpublic areas of any national laboratory. This straightforward measure would protect the integrity of America's national labs and the sensitive research that underpins our national security. For years, we know that the Chinese Communist Party has executed sweeping, coordinated campaigns to acquire American tech and innovation by any means necessary. Last month, Mr. David Shedd, the former Acting Director of Defense Intelligence Agency, said: Efforts blending cyber espionage, human intelligence, academic collaboration, and commercial investments have fueled China's rapid military and economic rise. This should concern all of us. Congress passed a law 2 years ago which prohibited foreign nationals from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from accessing our weapons labs. This was an important first step, but now we must address the same vulnerabilities in our science labs. These are labs where sensitive but unclassified work on artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and advanced computing are performed. These are the very labs that the President has tasked with executing the Genesis Mission, a modern-day Manhattan Project, to ensure that the United States wins the race for AI dominance. Yet, at the same time, we are allowing thousands of nontraditional intelligence collectors from our competitors and greatest adversaries to operate inside of these facilities. We know China's playbook. The CCP will weaponize any expertise it gains militarily, commercially, or economically. Our adversaries are running sophisticated espionage campaigns while we are rolling out the red carpet for thousands of these foreign nationals from proven countries of concern. This is a direct threat to our national security. Mr. Chair, this amendment simply closes a known vulnerability. It prohibits foreign nationals from countries of concern from accessing any nonpublic area of a national laboratory that receives Defense funding. Building on those actions taken 2 years ago, this amendment protects the Genesis project and mission and ensures that America, not our adversaries, will reap the benefits of scientific breakthroughs that our scientists achieve. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

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