Florida Senator Rick Scott (R) has introduced a seventh bill in one year to combat Chinese Communist Party influence, with the last two aiming to expose the wealth and hidden assets of senior Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials and aiming to prohibit Chinese companies from utilizing U.S. tax credits.
Sen. Scott unveiled the Preventing Remote Operations by Threatening Entities on Critical Technology for the Grid (PROTECT the Grid) Act in a press conference. This bill targets high-wattage smart devices produced by Communist China.
The senator claims, “These seemingly benign internet-connected appliances, such as smart ovens, EV chargers, and laundry appliances, can come with embedded software controlled by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) affiliated companies – giving Communist China a potential avenue to infiltrate and disrupt America’s electric grid.”
The PROTECT the Grid Act directs the Department of Commerce to investigate and assess the extent to which the CCP’s influence has penetrated our infrastructure through these devices, as China continues to push for dominance in both the appliance and consumer electronics markets.
“We cannot forget the existential threat that the Chinese Communist Party poses to our national security and American citizens. The CCP uses every tool at its disposal to infiltrate our markets, our government, and our families’ everyday lives through smart products designed with a built-in backdoor for China to spy on them and access our power grids,” Scott said. “The risk this access poses cannot be understated – it means Communist China could flip a digital switch and plunge parts of America into chaos.”
This bill also works in conjunction with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 13873, which empowers the Secretary of Commerce to restrict or ban the use of technology or services from foreign companies deemed a threat to national security.
“The Department of Commerce must act to block entities that threaten our national security and economic interests. We thank Senator Scott for introducing legislation to make permanent the protections in Executive Order 13873, signed by President Trump in 2019. This bill is a critical step toward ensuring Americans know who controls the technology in their homes—and who may be accessing their data,” said Jon Toomey, president of the Coalition for a Prosperous America, said.
