Brevard Sun

The House of Representatives has given its approval to an initiative led by Florida Congressmen Bill Posey, Dan Webster, and Scott Franklin. The initiative aims to prevent Communist China from benefiting from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) research and development programs.

Congressman Posey voiced his concerns about China's global influence, stating, “The CCP has been successful at portraying itself as a benevolent and benign presence in the world community. In reality, China is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. China views all of its entities through a military lens and works quietly to gain influence all over the world.”

Echoing Posey's sentiments, Congressman Webster added, “The CCP is a threat to America’s national and economic security. As the FAA Reauthorization Act includes important investments into research and development that will streamline FAA operations, I’m pleased that our proposal was included to ensure federal dollars aren’t being awarded to entities under Communist China’s influence.”

Congressman Franklin emphasized the risk of intellectual property theft by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), saying, “The Chinese Communist Party will stop at nothing to undermine U.S. global leadership, and that includes intellectual property theft. Our provision will safeguard the important R&D included in the FAA reauthorization bill from malign CCP-influence. I’m pleased this commonsense measure passed the House, and I thank my colleague, Mr. Posey, for his consistent leadership on American research security.”

China's reputation for stealing American intellectual property or influencing American research is well-known. In response to this threat, Posey, Webster, and Franklin collaborated with the House Science, Space and Technology Committee to include security language in the research and development section of the FAA reauthorization bill passed by both the House and Senate.