FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 09/16/26
Today, Chairman John Moolenaar led a Select Committee on China hearing examining import controls on Chinese products and how the United States can strengthen relevant authorities to advance supply chains and safeguard national and economic security in critical sectors.
Moolenaar is leading two critical import control bills with strong bipartisan support: the Guarding the U.S. Against Adversarial Robotics Dominance Act (GUARD), which would add Chinese robots to the FCC's Covered List, and the Connected Vehicle Security Act (CVSA), which would prohibit the importation, manufacture, and sale of Chinese connected vehicles and related components in the United States.
The witnesses at the hearing were Craig Singleton, China Program Senior Director, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; Oren Cass, Founder and Chief Economist, American Compass; and Peter Harrell, Visiting Scholar, Georgetown University Institute of International Economic Law; Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations.
Watch the full hearing or continue reading below for highlights.
Moolenaar led the hearing with a look at how the Chinese Communist Party is a threat to global commerce.
“We should expect intense economic warfare to persist for as long as Xi and the CCP are in power. So our national security toolkit must be equipped to address sector-wide threats as well as specific adversarial entities, and all other threats posed by Chinese imports.”
“This summer, the Administration carried out the largest expansion of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List in history. And President Trump has taken additional steps to eliminate foreign adversary products from our defense supply chains and critical infrastructure.”
Craig Singleton, China Program Senior Director, Foundation for Defense Democracies
In his testimony, Singleton detailed how China is strengthening its position across the technology sector through advanced manufacturing, greater supply-chain autonomy, and breakthroughs in biomanufacturing. He said Congress should establish a standing process for identifying high-risk foreign-adversary technology sectors.
Oren Cass, Founder and Chief Economist, American Compass
In his testimony, Cass explained how the CCP's industrial policy is weakening U.S. manufacturing, eroding American leadership in critical industries, and creating dangerous dependence on Chinese supply chains. He argued permanent restrictions would provide greater certainty for domestic producers and prevent future negotiations from weakening these protections. He also highlighted the Connected Vehicle Security Act and GUARD Act as critical legislation to protect the country.
Peter Harrell, Visiting Scholar, Georgetown University Institute of International Economic Law; Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
In his testimony, Harrell emphasized the growing importance of national security import controls to protect U.S. supply chains, industrial capacity, and cybersecurity. He urged Congress to take a more strategic approach by establishing a systematic process to identify security risks, pairing import controls with domestic and allied manufacturing, strengthening cybersecurity protections, and coordinating with allies to address shared threats.