Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) today introduced legislation that would prevent any funds appropriated by the U.S. Congress, including coronavirus relief funds, from being distributed to businesses owned by the Chinese government.
The “No CHINA (Chinese Handouts In National Assistance) Act” would ensure that American taxpayer dollars used in any COVID-19 funding package do not support the communist regime in China or businesses owned by the Chinese government, Gaetz said. The legislation, which has yet to be numbered, would restrict the use of funds made available in appropriations acts for fiscal year 2020 for the benefit of any United States or foreign person subject to the control of the People’s Republic of China.
Gaetz said China’s inaction and distortion of data have exacerbated the global coronavirus epidemic and helped fuel its rapid global spread.
“Every single American worker displaced by COVID-19 should be fully compensated before one nickel from our treasury goes to Chinese-owned corporations operating here in the United States,” he said. “The global coronavirus pandemic has been exacerbated by the Chinese government’s malicious misinformation and propaganda campaign against the United States and its citizens. Allowing American taxpayers’ money to go to companies owned by the Communist Chinese government is antithetical to our ‘America First’ agenda.”
Taiwan, nationals of Taiwan who are institutional investors and public and private entities of Taiwan are excluded from the restriction.
The president may waive the restriction on a case-by-case basis if he determines that it is in the national security interests of the United States to do so.
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