National Security

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) joined a bipartisan letter to President Trump, expressing deep concern that the U.S. Department of Commerce has begun issuing export licenses to U.S. firms to resume business with Huawei Technologies—despite the significant threats these license approvals could pose to our national security. Leader Schumer and Senator Cotton write that approving these licenses, and others, will allow Huawei to fully resume its engagement with certain U.S. firms without an adequate...

Following passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statement: “Today’s vote sends a clear message that the United States will continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong as they battle Beijing’s imperialism. The Chinese Communist Party’s quest for power across the region is a direct threat to America’s security and prosperity.”

“Current law makes it far too easy for hostile foreign governments like China to access Americans’ sensitive data. Chinese companies with vast amounts of personal data on Americans are required by Chinese law to provide that data to Chinese intelligence services. If your child uses TikTok, there’s a chance the Chinese Communist Party knows where they are, what they look like, what their voices sound like, and what they’re watching. That’s a feature TikTok doesn’t advertise.”

FBI Director Wray told Senator Hawley American companies storing data in China “is something we’re concerned about in part because. . . Chinese law essentially compels Chinese companies and typically compels U.S. companies that are operating in China to have relationships with different kinds of Chinese companies to provide whatever information the government wants whenever it wants.”

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, announced the following witnesses for the hearing entitled “How Corporations and Big Tech Leave Our Data Exposed to Criminals, China, and Other Bad Actors.” The hearing will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, November 5 at 2:30 p.m. ET in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Sometimes the fate of one city defines the challenge of a generation. Fifty years ago, that city was Berlin. Today, it is Hong Kong. Beijing seeks to dominate the Asia-Pacific region, and eventually, the world — to bend global trade, global markets, and yes, global competitors, to its will. Nothing could be more dangerous to the security of the American people or the prosperity of our middle class.

As big corporations collect ever-increasing amounts of personal data, they become even more appealing targets for hacking. This hearing will explore the state of cyber security in America, and how the government and private sector are facing this growing threat.

Senator Hawley said, “Intelligence officials have warned us that the Chinese Communist Party is using student spies to steal our technology and undermine our national security on college campuses. This bill gives the Department of Homeland Security the tools it needs to address this growing threat by increasing counterintelligence vetting for student and academic visas.”

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 the Chinese Government to disseminate communist propaganda, encourage censorship, and restrict academic freedom.

“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.”