WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, today released the following statements on the Senate’s final passage of the United States Innovation and Competition Act (S.1260): 

“As I have said for years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) presents a grave threat to U.S. values and interests, and its malign influence across the globe puts our own freedoms at risk here at home,” said Risch. “Last month, 21 members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted in favor of my bipartisan Strategic Competition Act that provides a comprehensive approach so the United States can begin to compete with China for decades to come. I am happy to say a large number of the provisions I authored in that bill were included in the final package that passed the Senate today. However, I am disappointed that Leader Schumer directly blocked important national security provisions that our country desperately needs. I will continue my work to combat malign CCP influence in the United States and abroad.”

“This bipartisan, Senate-wide effort ensures the United States is positioned to compete on a fair playing field globally, especially with China,” said Crapo. “As Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, I secured inclusion of the Trade Act of 2021, a comprehensive trade bill to combat China’s manufacturing imbalances, threats to free and fair trade, and illicit activity which undermine America’s leadership in innovation. This bill and the broader U.S. Innovation and Competition Act will help stand up our efforts in pushing back against China and helping Idaho’s hardworking farmers, manufacturers, fishers, high tech microchip innovators, and families compete globally.”

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