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Newhouse Appointed to House China Select Committee

January 23, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA)’s appointment to the bipartisan House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party was announced by Speaker McCarthy.

Rep. Newhouse will serve under the Chairmanship of Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI). The Committee will focus on reclaiming U.S. economic independence in key areas and on exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s coordinated, whole-of-society strategy to undermine American leadership.

“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is a threat to American democracy,” said Rep. Newhouse. “The United States is engaged in a great power struggle with the CCP, and we must respond with tough policies that will protect our farmland, rebuild our national supply chains, stand up for human rights, and safeguard American sovereignty. I look forward to serving on this committee and will continue leading the charge against the CCP’s efforts to buy up American farmland to ensure our agriculture industry and food supply chain is protected from any and all attacks, overt or otherwise, against them.”

Rep. Newhouse will serve under Rep. Gallagher alongside the following Republican Members: Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), Andy Barr (R-KY), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Jim Banks (R-IN), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), and Carlos Gimenez (R-FL). The Democratic Members of the Committee have yet to be announced.

Background:

Rep. Newhouse has been a leader in the charge to protect American sovereignty against the Chinese Communist Party’s aggression in Congress, specifically as it relates to the exponential purchasing of American farmland. Below are some of the actions he’s taken to address this threat in Congress.

  • In 2021, Rep. Newhouse introduced an amendment to the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill to prohibit the purchase of agricultural land by the People's Republic of China (PRC) and make agricultural lands currently owned by the People's Republic of China ineligible for farm programs.

  • Last Congress, Rep. Newhouse introduced the Prohibition of Agricultural Land for the People’s Republic of China Act which would prohibit the purchase of public or private agricultural land in the United States by foreign nationals associated with the Government of the People’s Republic of China. Additionally, the legislation would prohibit the same associations from participating in any United States Department of Agriculture programs except food safety inspections.

  • In June 2022, Rep. Newhouse introduced an amendment to the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies FY2023 Appropriations Bill to prohibit the purchase of agricultural land in the U.S. by companies owned, in full or in part, by the People’s Republic of China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran. His amendment was unanimously adopted by voice vote.

  • Last year, Rep. Newhouse sent a letter with 50 of his colleagues to the U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Austin Lloyd U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack raising concerns over the recent acquisition of farmland near a U.S. military installation by a Chinese-based manufacturer with close links to the CCP. The letter came after a recent land acquisition near Grand Forks, North Dakota, by the Fufeng Group, a Chinese-based manufacturer with close links to the CCP.

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