The entire Tennessee Congressional Delegation voted in favor of House Resolution 11 this week, which establishes a select committee on the strategic competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. The resolution passed the House by a 365-65 vote.
Defending America from Chinese Communist Party aggression should not be partisan. The newly-created Select Committee on China will be a bipartisan committee in divided government. https://t.co/q0Ofx9Pq6F
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) January 10, 2023
Tennessee’s Congressional Delegation serving in the 118th Congress consists of eight Republicans – Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01), Tim Burchett (R-TN-02), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN-04), Andy Ogles (R-TN-05), John Rose (R-TN-06), Mark Green (R-TN-07), David Kustoff (R-TN-08) – and one Democrat, Steve Cohen (D-TN-09).
The select committee will comprise 16 members – nine Republicans and seven Democrats – appointed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20). Per House Resolution 11, the committee will be authorized to “investigate and submit policy recommendations concerning the status of the economic, technological, and security progress of the Chinese Communist Party and its competition with the United States.”
I voted YES on the establishment of a truly Bipartisan Select Committee on China to assess the threat of the CCP and develop solutions to keep our homeland safe. China’s nefarious actions threaten every American; it’s time to work across the aisle to keep our mutual enemy at bay.
— Rep. Diana Harshbarger (@RepHarshbarger) January 10, 2023
Harshbarger applauded the creation of the select committee, tweeting, “I voted YES on the establishment of a truly Bipartisan Select Committee on China to assess the threat of the CCP and develop solutions to keep our homeland safe. China’s nefarious actions threaten every American; it’s time to work across the aisle to keep our mutual enemy at bay.”
The House also moved to pass House Resolution 12, which established a select subcommittee on the weaponization of the federal government by a vote of 221-211. The subcommittee will “investigate matters related to the collection, analysis, dissemination, and use of information on U.S. citizens by executive branch agencies, including whether such efforts are illegal, unconstitutional, or otherwise unethical,” per the resolution.
Steve Cohen was the only Tennessee representative who voted against the resolution.
Rose released a statement on the passing of the two bills, saying, “Tennesseans deserve answers on the nefarious practices of the Chinese Communist Party. They also want to know why the U.S. federal government has been turned against them to limit their speech and trample on their liberties. By making it a priority to establish these two select committees in our second week of the 118th Congress, Tennesseans are one step closer to getting the answers they deserve.”
The Chinese Communist Party is the biggest threat to our national security.
They're buying our farmland. Controlling the supply chain. Stealing our intellectual property. Influencing our government and children with their propaganda.
I'm proud to support the Select Committee.
— Congressman John Rose (@RepJohnRose) January 10, 2023
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
