McCaul Amendment Included in NDAA to Better Safeguard Communication Networks

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, urges support for his amendment to H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act.

Specifically, this amendment extends a provision in the NDAA that prohibits federal departments and agencies from purchasing ZTE and Huawei products and services to apply also to federal grant money and loans in order to better safeguard state and local communications networks.

You can click here or on the image below to watch Congressman McCaul's floor speech urging support for his amendment.

Below are Congressman McCaul's remarks as prepared:

Mr. Speaker,

Protecting U.S. Government communications networks from foreign adversaries, such as China, is vital to our national security.

I share the concerns of FBI Director Christopher Wray, who testified before the Senate that he was "deeply concerned about the risks of allowing any company or entity that is beholden to foreign governments, that don't share our values, to gain positions of power inside our telecommunications networks."

I am pleased to see that Section 880 of the National Defense Authorization Act of FY19 addresses this concern by prohibiting federal departments and agencies from procuring equipment and services from foreign firms, such as ZTE and Huawei.

Specifically, ZTE violated U.S. sanctions and then got caught lying about it. After agreeing to discipline their employees, they lied again and instead gave those employees a bonus.

Now it appears that we are offering them the same kind of deal. They clearly do not have a record built on trust. This poses significant risks to our nation's security.

However, this prohibition does not apply to state and local governments, who often rely on federal grant dollars and also play a major role in the protection of our nation's security.

This is why I've offered this amendment to the NDAA.

My amendment extends the prohibition on purchasing ZTE and Huawei products and services to federal grant money and loans to better safeguard state and local communications networks.

I am proud to have developed this amendment, in a bipartisan manner, with Chairman Thornberry and others.

Mr. Speaker, effectively defending the United States from malicious activity and intrusions will depend on a comprehensive, coordinated approach.

I urge my colleagues to protect our nation's communications networks from foreign adversaries, and support this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Thank You.