WASHINGTON — Congressman Dale Strong’s bill to create a working group at the Department of Homeland Security focused on countering threats from the Chinese Communist Party is expected to be introduced in the Senate soon as Congress returns from its two-week recess on Monday.
The legislation gained more support last week with the Major County Sheriffs of America, the National Narcotic Officers’ Association’s Coalition, and the National Fusion Center Association endorsing the bill. Fusion centers are central hubs that collect and analyze intelligence between different levels of government.
The Strategic Homeland Intelligence and Enforcement Legislation to Defend (SHIELD) Against the CCP Act would require the working group to assess and report on efforts to counter CCP’s use of nontraditional tactics: the U.S. immigration system, economic and trade practices, and support for illicit financial activity and trafficking controlled substances.
The House passed the legislation last month with bipartisan support.
“China represents one of the most aggressive and dangerous threats to our national security today,” Strong, R-Huntsville, said in a statement. “This bill ensures DHS has a dedicated team working to combat this threat.”
Eric Brown, the president of the National Narcotic Officers’ Association’s Coalition, said the bill will direct resources and programming to confront the CCP’s network of illicit drug trafficking.
“The Chinese Communist Party is actively involved—both directly and indirectly—in supporting transnational criminal organizations engaged in the importation and trafficking of fentanyl, illicit drug precursors, and other controlled substances that have significantly contributed to drug poisonings and deaths across our country,” Brown said in a statement.
More than 60 Chinese Communist Party espionage cases occurred in 20 states, including Alabama, during the past four years, according to a recent House Committee on Homeland Security report. Those incidents included transmission of sensitive military operations, stealing trade secrets and obstruction of justice.
President of the National Fusion Center Association Mike Sena said the bill acknowledges how intelligence sharing across government can bolster national security.
“We applaud Rep. Dale Strong for championing the SHIELD Against the CCP Act, legislation that takes critical steps to coordinate efforts in addressing the growing threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party to our homeland,” Sena said in a statement.
Strong, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, introduced two other Homeland Security bills this Congress, which also passed the House last month.
The bill also passed the House last year but did not advance in the Senate.