February 2, 2022
Dear Members of Congress,
Independent Women’s Voice, which fights to enhance people’s freedom, opportunities and well-being, opposes the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 4521). Far from enhancing American competitiveness with China, the bill is filled with provisions that would be damaging to America – in some cases to China’s benefit.
The COMPETES Act is a grab bag of “woke” priorities, including social engineering, critical race theory (CRT), union pandering, “climate” pork and other left-wing projects that would create yet more costs and constraints on Americans. For example, among other things, the 2,700 page bill provides $5 million to create a Chief Diversity Officer at the National Science Foundation and directs the NSF to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion in the technology sector.
At the same time, it does nothing to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front penetration and pilfering of American technology and talent. Regrettably, it also fails to hold the Chinese Communist Party responsible for enabling the spread of COVID-19 to become a pandemic through its repression, lies and propaganda.
The bill urges the U.S. to adhere to the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement, which would stifle America’s economic output while doing little to address China’s far worse pollution. President Xi Jinping’s pledge to peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2060 is not remotely credible, given that this is a government that routinely floods the world with propaganda, has utterly trashed its international treaty promises of rights and freedoms for Hong Kong, and would have us believe its concentration camps for Uyghurs in Xinjiang are filled with happy singing Uyghurs.
In conclusion, the basic premise of the COMPETES Act is that by expanding government spending and control and by reshaping America to suit the hard left, America will become more competitive with China. That is outrageously false. Rather, the COMPETES Act has the potential to help China at the expense of the U.S. For these reasons, we urge Members of Congress to reject this deeply flawed bill if it comes to the floor for a vote.
Respectfully,
Claudia Rosett
Foreign Policy Fellow
Independent Women’s Voice