September 13
This week in MORE POWER:
Intermingling Budget and Ballots
Excluding Electric Vehicles
Strategizing and Planning
Restrictions for China
Intermingling Budget and Ballots
House Republicans, led by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and under pressure from former President Trump, proposed a six-month stopgap funding bill that includes the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voting in federal elections. The bill is intended to keep government agencies open through March 28, potentially overlapping with a Trump presidency. However, Johnson struggled to gather enough GOP votes, leading to a delay in the vote on Wednesday, just hours before it was set to come to the floor. This setback is part of a series of difficulties Johnson and House Republicans have faced with spending bills since July. We are facing a possible government shutdown on October 1.
Excluding Electric Vehicles
The House passed the End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act which would, if made law, exclude Americans’ electric vehicles (EV) from the clean vehicle credit if their EV’s battery contains materials sourced from certain foreign entities, particularly those controlled by or associated with China. If passed, the bill could potentially impact a large portion of EVs currently on the market. However, the bill would exclusively apply for EVs that are bought and put into use after the bill is enacted; EVs that are already on the market and/or in use would not be affected by the bill’s new restrictions. The bill heads to the Senate next.
Strategizing and Planning
The House passed the Pacific Partnership Act on Monday. This bill is intended to create a comprehensive U.S. strategy to promote peace, security, and prosperity in the Pacific Islands while respecting national sovereignty and supporting sustainable development. It also emphasizes collaboration with regional institutions and allies, such as Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. If made law, it will require the president, in coordination with the secretary of state, to develop and submit this strategy to the appropriate congressional committees. Now, the bill heads to the Senate.
Restrictions for China
This week, the House passed the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act, which is meant to address potential threats to U.S. interests posed by China by imposing restrictions on certain Chinese officials. If the President determines such a threat exists, the Department of the Treasury must report to Congress on the financial activities of specified Chinese Communist Party members, detailing the amount and source of their funds, as well as any illicit activities involved. Following the report, the Treasury is required to prohibit significant financial transactions between U.S. institutions and these officials, with exceptions for intelligence, law enforcement, and national security. The bill is headed to the Senate.
What Congress Passed
H.R.510 Chinese Currency Accountability Act
H.R.554 Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act
H.R.820 Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act
H.R.1157 Countering the PRC Malign Influence Fund Authorization Act
H.R.2864 Countering CCP Drones Act
H.R.4741 Securing Global Telecommunications Act
H.R.5245 Science and Technology Agreement Enhanced Congressional Notification Act
H.R.5613 Sanctions Lists Harmonization Act
H.R.6606 To amend the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 relating to the statement of policy
H.R.6614 Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act
H.R.7089 Global Anti-Human Trafficking Enhancement Act
H.R.7151 Export Control Enforcement and Enhancement Act
H.R.7159 Pacific Partnership Act
H.R.7404 Subterranean Border Defense Act
H.R.7593 Modernizing the Congressional Research Service’s Access to Data Act
H.R.7701 No Russian Tunnel to Crimea Act
H.R.8152 Remote Access Security Act
H.R.8361 Economic Espionage Prevention Act
H.R.8631 Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act
H.R.8663 DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act
S.1608 Starr–Camargo Bridge Expansion Act
H.R.1516 DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act
H.R.1103 Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act
H.R.1398 Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act
H.R.1425 No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act
H.R.9456 Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act
H.R.7980 End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act
S.1608 Starr–Camargo Bridge Expansion Act
H.R.7377 Royalty Resiliency Act
H.R.7032 Congressional Budget Office Data Sharing Act
What POTUS Signed Into Law
Nothing.
