National Security

In response to yesterday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with FBI Director Chris Wray, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) today sent letters to the heads of University of Missouri and Webster University, both of which house Confucius Institutes, expressing his concerns about the universities’ Confucius Institutes. This follows comments during the hearing when Director Wray told Senator Hawley that Chinese Confucius Institutes at American universities are a “source of concern” because they allow...

Today Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), along with Vice President Mike Pence, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and officials from the Department of Homeland Security, toured the southern border. The group later addressed the crisis at the border during a press conference in McAllen, Texas.

“What happens at the border has a tremendous impact on communities in Missouri,” Senator Hawley said. “The nonstop flow of drugs and human trafficking coming into this country is a crisis, plain and simple. I want to learn more about the challenges our agents face, the problems these local communities are dealing with, and how we can figure out a path forward. We are facing a surge at the southern border like we have never seen before, and Congress needs to get off its backside and act.”

One day after a photo was published of an El Salvadoran father who drowned to death with his 23-month-old daughter, Senator Hawley called Congress’ inaction on the crisis at the border “pathetic” and a “complete dereliction of duty.” Senator Hawley made the comments at a hearing on border security in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Today Senator Josh Hawley introduced the Protect Our Universities Act of 2019 to safeguard sensitive, national security-related academic research from Chinese, Russian, and Iranian intelligence services. The text will also be submitted as a Senate amendment to the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is currently going through markups in the House and Senate.

Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) participated in a panel with U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) as part of the Center for a New American Security’s (CNAS) 2019 National Security Conference. The Senators had a wide-ranging discussion on American foreign policy, endless wars in the Middle East, and the countries that pose the greatest long-term threat to American national security. 

Today, Senator Josh Hawley questioned the Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan about the exploitation of children at the southern border during a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing. Acting Secretary McAleenan confirmed that Congress has refused to provide the resources necessary to end the reign of cartels and smugglers at the southern border and stop the horrific abuses of children, including child recycling rings.

“Thirty years after the massacre at Tiananmen Square, the Communist Party of China remains committed to imposing its will not only on the Chinese people, but also on those of its neighbors,” said Senator Hawley. “It has not learned from one of the worst atrocities in its modern history, and today, the United States has an obligation to speak out.”

“It’s time to acknowledge that China acts more like an adversary than a friend,” said Senator Hawley. “For too long, China has exploited American innovation to undermine our values and threaten our security. This legislation is an important step toward keeping American technology out of the hands of the Chinese government and its military.”

"The Iran nuclear deal was one of the single worst foreign policy disasters in recent memory. It severely threatened our closest allies and rewarded our worst adversaries by giving them a fast track toward acquiring nuclear weapons. I support the Administration’s maximum pressure campaign to hold Iran accountable for its sponsorship of terrorism, human rights abuses and leading role in the proliferation of chemical weapons.”