House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced Thursday that he is launching a governmentwide investigation into the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “ongoing efforts to target, influence, and infiltrate every sector and community in the United States.”
In nine letters sent to Federal agencies on March 14, Rep. Comer is seeking information on what steps are being taken to “thwart the CCP’s political and economic warfare campaign” in America’s education, agriculture, critical infrastructure, research, energy, business, space, and technology sectors.
“Without firing a single bullet, the Chinese Communist Party is waging war against the U.S. by targeting, influencing, and infiltrating every economic sector and community in America,” Rep. Comer said. “We know that this coordinated influence and infiltration campaign by the CCP threatens U.S. military readiness, the technology sector, financial markets, agriculture industry, education systems, and intellectual property.”
“The lives and security of all Americans are affected. The Oversight Committee has a responsibility to ensure the federal government is taking every action necessary to protect Americans from the CCP’s ongoing political warfare,” he continued, adding, “Actions taken by the Committee today are just the beginning and I look forward to full cooperation from agencies as we work to thwart China’s efforts to influence and infiltrate the United States of America.”
The congressman sent separate letters to each of the departments of Justice and Agriculture; Environmental Protection Agency; Drug Enforcement Administration; United States Agency for Global Media; Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network; NASA; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC); and National Science Foundation (NSF).
In his letter to NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, Rep. Comer is probing the agency on its policies around PRC’s “theft and exploitation of U.S. scientific research.”
“It is evident that gaps in NSF’s research security remain, and the agency has work to do to safeguard American research,” the letter reads. “The NSF’s Office of Inspector General considers threats to research security as one of ‘NSF’s most serious challenges based on our audit and investigative work,’ that needs to be addressed in 2024.”
The chairman is requesting the agency answer seven questions around research security by March 20.
In his letter to NASA leadership, Rep. Comer expressed concern over China ramping up its activities in space.
“National security officials are sounding alarms about the dangers of CCP activities in space,” the letter says. “The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s 2023 threat assessment identified that the PRC, and more specifically the CCP, is using space specifically to erode U.S. global influence.”
The chairman is requesting the agency answer six questions by March 20 around how NASA is inspiring Americans to lead in space, and training its employees, scientists, and the commercial space industry to “protect America from CCP’s efforts to hinder that success.”
Rep. Comer is also probing FERC on its work monitoring the electric grid for possible cybersecurity threats from the PRC. “FERC, along with the Department of Energy, has great responsibility in securing our nation’s electricity transmission systems,” he wrote.
The chairman is requesting the agency answer five questions on how FERC is addressing CCP threats to U.S. energy and grid security by March 20.
The oversight panel said it intends to call on more U.S. agencies to provide information on how they are combatting CCP warfare and will lead several hearings to address this national security threat in the coming weeks and months.