Last week, President Trump enacted reciprocal tariffs of up to 50% on roughly 90 countries around the world in a bold move to restructure international trade to reduce the United States’ trade deficit and to recapture industries that had been lured away by unfair trade practices. One week later, the president announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs as countries began coming to the negotiating table to address his concerns. One notable exception to the pause on reciprocal tariffs? China. 

At a time when China is engaged in an active campaign to sabotage America with the goal of nothing less than world dominance, a strong economic and national security alliance between the U.S. and India has never been more important.

On Thursday, March 27, the U.S. House passed H.R. 1048, the DETERRENT Act, with bipartisan support. The final vote was 241-169. This legislation takes important steps to increase transparency when it comes to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence within America’s colleges and universities. The Protecting America Initiative applauds the House of Representatives for addressing this important issue and urges Senate passage of H.R. 1048.  

In February, President Donald Trump hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, D.C., wherein the two leaders reaffirmed ties between the United States and India in addition to announcing the launch of a new initiative – the “U.S.-India COMPACT (Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century.”

The Protecting America Initiative has long highlighted the fact that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is actively engaged in an effort to overtake America as the world’s foremost superpower.

On Wednesday, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders built upon the state’s previous successes in passing protections against Chinese Communist Party (CCP)threats and introduced the “Communist China Defense” legislative package in the state capitol.

For at least five years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been actively attempting to undermine the American economy and gain access to U.S. land. China is openly committed to thelong-term goal of world dominance and sees exerting control over aspects of American life as a key to that objective.  

As the Protecting America Initiative has frequently reported, states around the country are taking action to protect their citizens from the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). From protecting U.S. agriculture from unfair competition to ensuring that states prioritize American products in contracting, there are transformative policy changes being enacted around the nation.

President Trump’s first weeks in office have been defined by an unprecedented whirlwind of action. He’s moving so fast to complete his campaign promises that many people in Washington are having a hard time keeping up. One of the most important pledges that the President is already fulfilling is getting tough on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to stop the flow of drugs into American communities. 

On Wednesday this week, the North Dakota Senate’s Industry and Business Committee held a hearing on HB 1038 – a bill that would fund the replacement of the nearly 90% of drones owned by state agencies that were manufactured in China.

President Trump celebrated his first day in office by signing Executive Orders that will fight Chinese Communist Party (CCP) interference in the United States and protect American jobs. To help support the president’s effort, the Protecting America Initiative launched a multi-state ad campaign this week that encourages states to pass laws to safeguard our farmers and our food supply.  

In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has engaged in a troubling new power grab that could jeopardize the future of America’s food security.  Companies connected to the CCP are amassing hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland in the United States while simultaneously applying unfair business practices to undercut American agricultural supply companies.

On Tuesday, the United States Department of Defense (DoD) posted notice to the Federal Register and added several new companies to a list of entities it deemed as falling within the definition of “Chinese military companies.” As the Pentagon explained in its annual report to Congress, the Chinese Communist Party’s goal is to “to strengthen all the [People’s Republic of China]’s instruments of national power by melding aspects of its economic, military, and social governance” and “establish an infrastructure that connects the military and civilian sectors” in order to advance its interests.  

The new year started with the same troubling news. Once again, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been accused by U.S. government officials of sponsoring hacks aimed at accessing sensitive information about American citizens and government operations. This time, the series of hacks targeted the Department of Treasury as well as private American telecommunications companies.  

In recent weeks, we’ve highlighted states that have taken concrete steps to protect their citizens from Communist China’s influence campaign. One state that has been at the forefront of this effort and doing the hard work of passing legislative protections is Georgia. Over the past two years, Georgia’s lawmakers and Governor Brian Kemp have taken significant steps to block the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to make inroads in U.S. states, and their action has helped fortify the state against future threats.  

The Protecting America Initiative is leading the fight at the state level to increase national security and protect American data from foreign adversaries. As we have demonstrated, much of that important work begins at the state level. States that lead the way in safeguarding privacy should be greatly commended. One admirable example is the state of Arkansas, where policymakers have made great headway in enacting laws that help protect Arkansans from the CCP’s ill intent.

As a number of states are set to begin their legislative sessions next month, legislators should not miss the opportunity to prioritize bills that protect critical assets and address the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party.

The most recent elections swept a wave of Republican candidates to victory at the state and national level. As we highlighted before, there are now 23 states where Republicans control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s mansion. Those states have a great opportunity to enact a legislative agenda that will protect their citizens from Chinese government influence. 

As President Trump prepares to begin a second term following his recent electoral victory, his early appointments have sent a clear signal that one of his administration’s biggest policy priorities will be countering the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party.

Election night 2024 was a stunning victory for candidates who rejected the Chinese government's attempts to expand influence into the United States. Not only did national results bring resounding wins for President Trump and Republicans at the federal level, but the GOP scored wins in states across the country. It is time to for politicians to build on this mandate and pass laws that protect U.S. farmland, political independence, and economic superiority.