Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

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Mr. McHENRY. In its current form, yes.

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Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, this amendment will not kill the bill. It will make this a serious piece of legislation rather than just a political talking point, which is what it currently is. The legislation will then target real human rights abuses.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans in this House have been standing against the Chinese Communist Party and the rising threat it presents, not only to the American businesses in our community, in our economy, but also to national security. And Republicans have also worked to address the atrocities committed against the Uyghur people, including in the House Committee on Financial Services. Republicans stand with the Trump administration against communism and the global threat the Chinese Government poses, while Democrats have excused the Chinese Communist Party's actions for years.

Just last year, we offered House Democrats an opportunity in the Committee on Financial Services, to stand up against the Chinese Communist Party, and they didn't. And we offered them the opportunity to stand against human rights abuses against religious minorities in China, and they didn't work with us.

We had those votes when we considered the reauthorization of U.S. Export-Import Bank. Instead of joining us, Democrats voted to allow companies owned by the Chinese Communist Party to receive U.S.-taxpayer subsidies, subsidies that support the very people committing these human rights atrocities in which they are now, all of a sudden, a few days before the election, against.

Mr. Speaker, if you look at that vote tally, you will see today's bill's sponsor's name. She voted against these Republican measures to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable, including holding them accountable for abuses against the Uyghur people. So what has changed?

Mr. Speaker, I would submit that it is an election that has made these things more of a reality for these Democrats that were very weak on communist China. Democrats in the House failed to stand up for the American people and stand against the human rights abuses of the Uyghur people. And now 33 days before the election, they are scrambling to look tough on China.

Let me be clear: This bill is not tough on China. It actually won't do the things that the bill's sponsor is saying and committee Democrats are saying.

If we really want to be tough on China, we would target and sanction those responsible to the greatest extent possible. That is what we did in a bipartisan way last week with a good bill that is very workable. We would support a whole-of-government approach to combat the rising threat and ensure the freedom of the Uyghur people.

This bill doesn't do that. This bill uses the same mechanisms that have previously failed in their intended purpose. In fact, the last time the Democrats paid lip service to similar human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they failed to support the Congolese miners, while at the same time costing American companies an estimated $7 billion. That is just one example.

If you need more evidence that the Democrats are not serious about combating the Chinese Communist Party, just look at their new COVID relief bill, which would send more than $170 billion to the Chinese Government. What does that do for small businesses and their employees who are still hurting and need our support because of COVID?

Now, there are many good news items here. Because Democrats are feeling vulnerable on China leading up to this election, we were able to get together on some pieces of legislation that would do some positive things in terms of our relationship with China and holding them accountable. The bill last week is a good example of that.

The bill before us today is nothing more than a press release for an election. I think we will see that. I think we will probably see Democrats using this in campaign ads, maybe.

My amendment recognizes that sanctioning is the most effective way to punish bad actors and to address the human rights violations in Xinjiang, in the Uyghur Autonomous Region, as recommended by the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional-Executive Committee on China in their 2019 report, the very same report, I might add, that the author of this bill cites in her bill to describe the atrocities against the Uyghur people.

It also ensures the bill accomplishes its intended purpose: cracking down on the Chinese Communist Party and ending the human rights atrocities in the ongoing struggle that the Uyghur people are facing.

A vote for this amendment says that you are serious about addressing the threats of China and what it poses to our national security. A vote for this amendment says that we are serious about ending the human rights atrocities and serious as legislators.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this motion to recommit, urge its adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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