Rep. Sherrill Questions Experts in First Hearing on The Threat of the Chinese Communist Party to America

Washington, DC– Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) got to work at her first hearing of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (SCC). The Congresswoman spoke about the importance of finding bipartisan solutions to the economic and security threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for the prosperity of the United States and New Jersey. Watch Representative Sherrill’s remarks here.

“This committee is so important as we work to promote and protect our values – and our economic interests –  here at home and across the world.  America’s ability to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable is central to that, and is the most complex and important aspect of our foreign and economic policy,” said Rep. Sherrill at the hearing. “ Protecting human rights, ensuring a fair economic playing field, promoting freedom and democracy – generations of Americans have fought to protect these ideals and the more successful we are, the more America and her citizens prosper and thrive. This is now our generation’s challenge, and this committee, each and every member of it, stands ready to answer that call to action.”

During the hearing, Congresswoman Sherrill questioned the President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing Scott Paul about China’s unfair trade practices and how they are impacting manufacturers in North Jersey and across the country. According to the Intellectual Property Commission Report, the CCP’s theft of US trade secrets and intellectual property costs the US economy between $200 billion and $600 billion per year.

“[The CCP’s] selling of products into the U.S. market at a cheaper rate than they are at home. The direct subsidies that the government provides for energy. The lax labor and environmental standards, they are low standards to begin with, and they are rarely enforced. From time to time, there has been a misalignment of the yuan, the Chinese currency, that is artificially giving Chinese imports an advantage in to the U.S. market ” said Mr. Paul at the hearing. “As a result, we shed an enormous amount of manufacturing capacity in just over a decade. A stunning amount. 90,000 factories closed and even more job losses.”

Representative Sherrill is leading the fight for American manufacturing to help the United States compete with China. The Congresswoman advocated for and helped shepherd into law the CHIPS and Science Act, which is increasing the much-needed growth of domestic semiconductor production, strengthening supply chains, and advancing R&D and manufacturing.

Earlier this year, Congresswoman Sherrill was asked to join the SCC and will focus on investigating and developing policy that addresses our country’s economic, technological, and security competition with the CCP.

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