WASHINGTON – Two of Congressman Dale Strong’s bills designed to combat foreign interference in the United States passed the U.S. House on Monday.
Strong, who sits on the Homeland Security and Appropriations committees, led the push for three out of nine pieces of legislation that were considered on the House floor Monday, all aimed at bolstering homeland security efforts. Two of Strong’s bills passed with bipartisan support. The third has not received a vote.
“These three bills right here allow Homeland Security to do their jobs and (counter) threats that come from China in this effort,” Strong, R-Huntsville, told Alabama Daily News.
The House passed Strong’s SHIELD Against CCP Act on Monday by a voice vote. The legislation would create a working group at the Department of Homeland Security focused on countering threats from the Chinese Communist Party.
The working group would identify and address ways to counter “terrorist, cybersecurity, border and port security and transportation” security threats from the China Chinese Communist Party. The group would work to assess and report on how DHS is countering CCP’s use of the immigration system, economic practices, and trafficking of controlled substances. The SHIELD Against CCP Act also passed the House last year but did not receive a vote in the Senate
“We cannot afford to ignore the increased aggression and influence of China on the global stage,” Strong said on the House floor.
The SHIELD Against CCP Act received bipartisan support.
“This bill will help ensure that DHS implements a coordinated and effective response to the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to undermine the United States,” Rep. Lou Correa, D-CA, said in favor of the bill on the House floor.
The Research Security and Accountability in DHS Act, sponsored by Strong, would direct the Science and Technology Directorate within DHS to develop a process to protect sensitive research and development project information to prevent unauthorized access. It passed the House 410-1.
“By passing this commonsense bill and protecting sensitive (research and development) projects throughout the department we will improve the effectiveness of DHS’s mission, the safety of our nation’s law enforcers and ultimately our national security,” Strong said.
The bill also calls for the Government Accountability Office to submit a report to Congress on how DHS complies with government-wide policies that aim to protect research and development.
Strong is also sponsoring the DHS Biodetection Improvement Act which would strengthen U.S. biodefense to better protect the United States against bioterrorism threats. A vote has not taken place on the bill yet. The legislation passed the House last Congress but did not receive a vote in the Senate.
Specifically, the legislation calls for an assessment of how DHS uses Department of Energy laboratories to conduct research and development of biodetection technologies. It also calls for DHS to report to Congress its strategy for biodetection research and development.
“Let’s focus on those threats that are there, just like the bioterroism, you cannot go after that after its occurred,” Strong told ADN. “Let’s go over here and say let’s secure the home front and do everything we can to keep from some of those bio threats that could happen and let’s get ahead of the ball game,” Strong told ADN.
The 2001 anthrax attacks led to the creation of the BioWatch program, which monitors and tests for biological agents that could be used in terrorist attacks. However, Strong said DHS needs to improve some breakdowns in that program and upgrade technology to better combat threats going forward.
All of Strong’s bills focus on DHS sending reports back to Congress to explain how it’s tackling and complying with policies as it relates to its work countering threats.
“To be on Homeland Security and also on Appropriations (committees), I need to know what’s working from the people that are in the field and I think that will help us,” Strong told ADN.
Strong said he thinks these bills will be brought to the Senate floor this Congress.