Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ), and a senior national security policy expert at the Vandenberg Coalition, alerted the Washington Examiner that even after Congress banned taxpayer funds from financing China’s communist propaganda, action still needs to be taken to protect U.S. intelligence from Beijing’s propaganda.
“[Chinese propaganda] certainly has no influence on me or my fellow Republicans, but I can’t speak for other lawmakers. It is hard to imagine that the CCP would deliver it if they didn’t believe it could,” Hamadeh told the Washington Examiner.
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CCP PROPAGANDA OUTLET PUSHES DEMOCRATIC MESSAGING ON SOCIAL MEDIA, HIRES LIBERAL STAFFERS
The representative then sounded the alarm on China’s plan to use propaganda as a way to infiltrate and weaken its enemies and called on Congress to put more safeguards in place to prevent a catastrophe from happening.
“This is information warfare. The CCP is actively using false narratives to influence operations and propaganda infiltrating our democracy. The distribution of Chinese Communist Party propaganda through our internal mail systems, allows hard earned American taxpayer dollars to amplify the messaging of an authoritarian regime, undermining everything we stand for as a democracy,” Hamadeh said.
In March, House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenar (R-MI) enacted a ban on all distributions of China Daily after Hamadeh introduced a resolution in February for that reason. However, as the representative stated, China’s plan to push an effective messaging campaign continues, highlighting the urgency for Congress to take more action.
“Congress must continue to take a firm stand against the CCP’s disinformation. The CCP is ruthless, and I believe it is the source of so much division and incivility we are experiencing right now in our nation,” Hamadeh said.
The representative then said this is part of China’s plan to target American taxpayers and our national security.
“[This] is part of the CCP’s wider agenda and an attack on our national security. Their radical foreign influence targets our taxpayers and lawmakers, aiming to weaken our democracy from within. I could not stand by while the heart of our government is being poisoned with harmful CCP messaging,” he said.
“There are no more free passes for the CCP in the People’s House,” Hamadeh concluded.
Anne Lorde, the government affairs director for the Vandenberg Coalition, told the Washington Examiner that China’s motives for influencing American lawmakers are consistent with past findings, adding that Congress must maintain its legislative hold over China.
“China’s strategy of influencing the American people through elite capture is nothing new. For years the CCP has sought to shape public opinion and members of Congress are prime targets,” Lorde wrote.
“It is in our interest to protect the American people from this malign subversive campaign to interfere with our society,” Lorde added.
Thankfully, in the 119th Congress, a strong Republican majority in both chambers has promised to continue diluting China’s inroads in the United States, strengthening America’s Democracy.
The House, which has already launched an internal ban on all taxpayer-funded distribution of China Daily, has also taken other significant steps against China.
HOW TO BEAT CHINA’S PROPAGANDA MACHINE
In the first nine months of the 119th Congress, the House has already deterred China’s propaganda in our education system, blacklisted its spyware and self-proclaimed educational institutions operating in the U.S., and tackled its illicit fentanyl made to kill Americans.
Just this past week, members such as Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) promised to take down the regime’s “psyops weapons,” like TikTok.
The escalation of legislation and executive action against China is hopefully far from over. As stated by Hamadeh and Lorde, the U.S. should not back down in the face of China.