Two policy priorities of House Republicans are China and energy production. Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) has combined both in a bill he introduced that would cut off funding nuclear exchanges with China.
The Protect American Energy from China Act, first reported by Daily Caller, would effectively reverse a 2011 memorandum of understanding between the United States and China, which authorized the exchange of "publicly available information technical information, data, and experience."
As such, Rep. Donalds' bill would prohibit federal funds from being put towards this memorandum.
Additionally, Rep. Donalds stated, "China is our top hegemonic adversary," with whom we should not share "energy secrets."
"China is our top hegemonic adversary. There's no reason we should be sharing energy secrets with them. This is simple. I'm proud to introduce the Protect American Energy from China Act for this reason. We must defend against the national security implications of a rising China," said Donalds.
China is our top hegemonic adversary. There's no reason we should be sharing energy secrets with them. This is simple.
I'm proud to introduce the Protect American Energy from China Act for this reason.
We must defend against the national security implications of a rising China. https://t.co/t6Kn6AF3IL
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) April 4, 2023
More startlingly, China has allegedly violated the 2011 nuclear memorandum, repeatedly redirecting civilian nuclear technology toward military purposes. The Pentagon has reported the country possesses 400 working nuclear warheads as of February 2023, lending credibility to Donalds' bill.
Donalds has recently stated, "The Chinese are emboldened around the globe," thanks to the Biden foreign policy. In additional comments to the Daily Caller, Donalds called TikTok, the Chinese purchases of American farmland, and the February spy balloon incident "relentless violations of our national sovereignty."
Thus, this Protect American Energy Act is, in essence, a message of "no more!"
"China has been allowed to get away with the COVID-19 pandemic, spying on us through TikTok, buying up our farmland, flying spy balloons over our military installations, and even operating secret police stations in our biggest cities. I am proud to introduce the Protect American Energy from China Act because we must stand up in the face of these relentless violations of our national sovereignty and say, ‘No more!’," Donalds declared.
