Republicans: Democrats’ China Bill ‘Not Serious’

Barring a major surprise, the House is poised to pass the 2,900-page China-focused competition bill that Speaker Nancy Pelosi released last night. Republicans, however, were quick to pour cold water on the massive legislative package, which their Democratic colleagues pitched as a landmark proposal. The GOP officials say it’s fundamentally unserious, nakedly partisan, and unlikely to advance America’s national-security interests.

That bill — dubbed the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act, or the America COMPETES Act — is the House’s answer to the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, the bipartisan $252 billion research-and-development investment measure aimed at prepping the U.S. for the long arc of its competition with the Chinese Communist Party. The House and Senate versions share some notable differences, but they both boost investment in scientific research, provide $52 billion in semiconductor-production subsidies, and address other aspects of U.S. policy toward China.

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Jimmy Quinn

Jimmy Quinn is the former national security correspondent for National Review.

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Barring a major surprise, the House is poised to pass the 2,900-page China-focused competition bill that Speaker Nancy Pelosi released last night. Republicans, however, were quick to pour cold water on the massive legislative package, which their Democratic colleagues pitched as a landmark proposal. The GOP officials say it’s fundamentally unserious, nakedly partisan, and unlikely to advance America’s national-security interests.

That bill — dubbed the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act, or the America COMPETES Act — is the House’s answer to the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, the bipartisan $252 billion research-and-development investment measure aimed at prepping the U.S. for the long arc of its competition with the Chinese Communist Party. The House and Senate versions share some notable differences, but they both boost investment in scientific research, provide $52 billion in semiconductor-production subsidies, and address other aspects of U.S. policy toward China.