House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Meeks Issues Statement on Passage of Democratic Export Control Bills in HFAC Markup

Washington, D.C. - Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today applauded the passage of six bipartisan technology bills introduced by Democrats during today's Committee markup:

"Today's extensive markup of export control bills only illustrates the Trump administration's utter failure to properly administer export controls as a key national security tool. The six Democrat-led bills we've passed today are important reforms to ensure that U.S. export controls are processed in a timely manner, that the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has the technology and enforcement tools necessary to safeguard our national security, that BIS engages industry to bolster compliance with our export controls, and that there is sufficient oversight of and reporting from the bureau. I am particularly concerned by historic backlogs at BIS that are hurting U.S. businesses, creating space for foreign competitors to pick up market share, and costing the U.S. critical jobs. My bill, H.R. 8289, will require export license applications to be reviewed within 90 days, and create greater transparency and accountability in this process.

"While we were able to reach bipartisan consensus on many of the other bills considered today, I made clear my concern that our Committee has not sufficiently engaged with stakeholders, including subject matter experts and industry leaders, before advancing some of these technically complex measures. The Committee should have received briefings and heard public testimony from relevant administration officials, including BIS Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler, on the matters we voted on today. Ultimately, Congress should not be legislating sweeping or overly detailed technological requirements; it created BIS to coordinate between four U.S. government agencies and incorporate their expertise and intelligence to formulate specific policies that protect our national security and American technology leadership. Instead, BIS under the Trump administration is a picture of dysfunction and delays that are setting U.S. businesses back in our strategic competition with China, and this Committee has not conducted sufficient oversight to hold it accountable."

The Democratic bills that passed during today's markup include:

• H.R. 8289, To amend the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 to ensure expeditious processing of license applications, and for other purposes. (Rep. Meeks)
• H.R. 4505, To strengthen enforcement of United States export controls by increasing the number of export control officers of the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce who are stationed in foreign regions; (Rep. Kamlager-Dove)
• H.R. 8288, To amend the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 to provide assistance for compliance with that Act; (Rep. Amo)
• H.R. 4920, To require modernization of information technology systems and applications of the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce; (Rep. Crow)
• H.R. 8287, To require the Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research to submit a comprehensive report on the impact and effectiveness of United States semiconductor export controls on the People's Republic of China, and for other purposes; (Rep. Stanton)
• H.R. 8320, USA 6G Global Leadership Act, To require additional duties of the Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy with respect to United States diplomatic efforts ahead of certain international conferences, and for other purposes. (Rep. Johnson)