While Congress gears up for a fight over spending, China hawks are attempting to push through bills combating Chinese influence.

Of the six bills on tap for this week, five are focused on China in areas ranging from pandemic response to electric vehicles.

Here is an overview of four of the major bills being voted on this week as attention shifts to the looming spending battle.

H.R. 1516 – DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act

Confucius Institutes are programs organized by the Chinese government to facilitate educational exchanges around the world. They have long been widely suspected of being espionage operations. As a result, in 2021, the United States banned federal research funds for universities that hosted Confucius Institutes, a significant blow to the programs. Most colleges closed their Confucius Institutes.

H.R. 1516 expands these restrictions, making a college or university ineligible for funds from the Department of Homeland Security if it has a relationship with a Confucius Institute or Chinese Entities of Concern, defined as any university in China with a relationship with the government.

Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) introduced the bill in March 2023.

H.R. 1398 – Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024

The National Security Division of the Justice Department established a program called the China Initiative in 2018 to root out Chinese spies. The program was criticized for allegedly being ineffective and engaging in racial profiling, and it was closed in 2022.

H.R. 1398 aims to reestablish the initiative, renaming it the CCP Initiative and outlining its goals.

The goals are to “(1) counter nation-state threats to the United States; (2) curb spying by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on U.S. intellectual property and academic institutions; (3) identify and prosecute individuals engaged in trade secret theft, hacking, and economic espionage; and (4) protect U.S. critical infrastructure from foreign threats.”

Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) introduced the bill in March 2023.

H.R. 1425 – No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act

The World Health Organization became a hub of controversy due to its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with congressional Republicans leading the charge. H.R. 1425 would require Senate approval to implement the WHO’s Pandemic Preparedness Treaty.

“To require any convention, agreement, or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response reached by the World Health Assembly to be subject to Senate ratification,” the bill reads.

Rep. Thomas Tiffany (R-WI) introduced the bill in March 2023.

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H.R. 7980 – End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act of 2024

China has emerged as a global leader in electric vehicles, boosted by generous government subsidies. That dominance has led to a bipartisan push to boost domestic manufacturing and reduce China’s advantage in the industry. H.R. 7980 aims to further this pattern.

The bill would “amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude vehicles the batteries of which contain materials sourced from prohibited foreign entities from the clean vehicle credit.”

Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) introduced it in April.