Rep. Mike Gallagher says China may be the only issue lawmakers can agree on right now as Congress remains deadlocked trying to find a way out of default on $31 trillion in debt.
Gallagher, chairman of the House of Representatives’ Special Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, launched policy recommendations to combat the greatest threat facing the US, Chinese aggression — at physical, technological and intellectual levels.
On Wednesday, its all-party special committee voted to adopt two reports — one on how to strengthen Taiwan’s security in the face of a growing Chinese threat, and another on the CCP’s ongoing genocide of Uyghur Muslims.
Rep. Andy Kim, DN.J., was the only lawmaker to vote “no” in committee.
“Amidst the general deadlock in Congress, the special committee was able to pass two reports with two recommendations that are bipartisan but very persuasive,” Gallagher said during a news conference.
Gallagher MP, R-Wis., told that there is a heated “AI race” with China
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He pointed to the ongoing talks between the Biden administration and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which are still a long way from an agreement to avert a default.
Negotiations at the White House continued on Wednesday, but both sides are unsure whether spending cuts will be at stake.
McCarthy told reporters, “I don’t think there will be a default,” and both sides made some “progress” today.
Gallagher said the “10 for Taiwan” plan is not “a comprehensive list of everything we need to do,” but outlines the key areas that the 118th Congress could achieve.
The recommendations were compiled after a “war game” scenario the committee ran in April, which concluded that the US stockpile of precision-guided missiles would be destroyed within two weeks if China invaded Taiwan.
As a result, the 10-point proposal was drawn up to “sensibly strengthen” cross-strait deterrence, including by establishing an arms cache to protect the island.
As part of the ten recommendations, the US would also expand communication channels with the Taiwanese military and disperse US troops in the Indo-Pacific region.
The plan is structured so that the recommendations are aligned with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), he added.
“So I’m cautiously optimistic that we can bring a lot of that into the NDAA,” Gallagher said, noting that several members of the select committee also sit on the Armed Services Committee.
Gallagher called the recommendations on genocide in that Congress “attainable.”
The committee voted to punish CCP officials responsible for the genocide and ensure that American companies are not complicit by exploiting loopholes.
The chairman told reporters it was important that the US or American companies did not “accidentally fund” the genocide.
It will also change “the behavior” of big players in the private sector, who “all too often turn a blind eye to the atrocities,” he added.
Both recommendations passed are a blueprint for legislative action, Gallagher said. He doesn’t intend them to “sit on a shelf somewhere gathering dust.”
“I’m here to get things done.”
“I’m glad that Congress has started overseeing this and educating about AI,” Gallagher said
A bipartisan group of MPs led by Gallagher traveled to London last week to meet with British leaders and explore ways for the two nations to work together to effectively counter China’s growing aggression on multiple fronts.
An adviser to the special committee said UK lawmakers and leaders are aware that the trip is designed to explore how best to work together to counter China’s aggression, as they are “all in the sit in the same boat”.
“The CCP’s aggression is global,” a committee official told . “It extends to all facets, including economic, military and cyber coercion.”
At the meetings abroad, AUKUS – a trilateral security pact between Australia, Great Britain and the USA – was mentioned in almost every discussion.
According to a source familiar with the meetings, lawmakers were debating how to get the AUKUS implementation right, and that means reforming the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
In addition, the heads of state and government expressed hope that AUKUS can be a springboard for increased military and technological cooperation.
The source added that a key idea that emerged over the weekend is that the “special relationship” between the US and UK – which is now being enhanced by the AUKUS platform – could be a new model type of “flexible diplomacy”.