With U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, leading a congressional delegation to China this week, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., brought out the “No Overseas Congressional Help for International Negotiations with Adversaries (NO CHINA) Act.”
The bill will “prohibit the use of federal funds and resources for members of Congress to visit Communist China.”
“Chuck Schumer jetting off to Communist China while the U.S. has 43 days of government funding left sounds like a headline ripped from the Babylon Bee. Nothing Chuck Schumer says will stop Communist China’s human rights abuses, shipping of deadly fentanyl to the U.S. southern border, or theft of American jobs and resources. Communist China hates America, chose to be our adversary, and wants to dominate the global economy and destroy our way of life by any means necessary. Xi is a murderous dictator, so why the hell would Chuck Schumer spend taxpayers’ hard-earned money to kiss the ring in Beijing and appease him? He should be putting Americans’ interests, canceling this trip and coming back to DC to do his damn job of passing spending bills. We shouldn’t need a law to prevent stupidity like this but Chuck Schumer has forced my hand,” Scott said.
Scott’s bill was sent to the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. So far, there are no Senate co-sponsors and no companion bill in the U.S. House.
Schumer is leading a mission to China, Japan and Korea this week. U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., Mike Crapo, R-Wy., Maggie Hassan, D-NH, John Kennedy, R-La., and Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., are also part of the congressional delegation.
Last week, Schumer took to the Senate floor to talk about the trip.
“Next week, I will lead a bipartisan delegation of Senators on a visit to China, Japan, and Korea. This will be my second time leading a congressional delegation as majority leader, after our first visit which went to India, Israel, Pakistan, and Germany.” he said. “Let me first thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for joining me on this visit: Senator Crapo, the ranking member of the Finance Committee, Senators Cassidy, Hassan, Kennedy, and Ossoff. Bipartisan is our watchword in the Senate, and you can see that this delegation is no exception. Three Democrats, three Republicans.
“Our trip will be a visit to the most consequential region in the world, focusing on the issues of economic competition and security, on American national security, and on global leadership in advanced technology. Unlike recent delegations to China, I am proud that we will go as elected representatives of the American people, underscoring how serious Congress is about maintaining America’s global leadership in the 21st century,” Schumer continued. “We’ll meet with government and business leaders from each country, with American ambassadors and diplomats, with American companies to hear from them what they need best to succeed in Asia.
“Our message to China will be clear but fair: the Chinese government must work with us to ensure a level playing field so that U.S. businesses and American workers have the opportunity to compete fairly in decades to come,” Schumer added. “So, we’ll focus on the need for reciprocity in China for U.S. businesses. And we’ll focus on advancing America’s national security interests and leadership in critical technologies.
“I also look forward to having a direct, candid, and respectful conversation with Chinese leadership on the need to combat the distribution of fentanyl, on China’s human rights record, regional security and stability, and on the need for cooperation where possible,” Schumer said in conclusion. “I thank all my colleagues for joining me on this bipartisan delegation to Asia, and I look forward to a constructive trip where we can work together to advance America’s interests and leadership on the world stage.”
