Meng, Hirono and Chu Stop House Republicans From Relaunching Trump-era China Initiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) stopped House GOP members from reinstating the China Initiative, a Trump-era program created in 2018 that purported to combat espionage but in effect targeted and profiled those of Chinese descent.

The Department of Justice ended the program in 2022, after several of the alleged espionage and national security cases ended in acquittal, dismissal or were dropped altogether. But in January, Republicans in Congress inserted a provision in a key House spending bill to restart the program. However, the measure was taken out of the legislation, which the House passed this afternoon, after Meng, Chu and Hirono urged House and Senate leaders to remove it.

“We are thankful to House and Senate leaders for hearing the concerns of our community members and removing the provision that would have restarted the China Initiative,” said Meng, Hirono, and Chu. “When the Trump Administration first created the China Initiative, we saw how it directed suspicion at researchers and scholars of Asian descent. We also saw how it failed to meaningfully safeguard national security or protect Americans from threats posed by foreign entities, including the Chinese Communist Party. Our colleagues in the Republican Party sought to reinstate this failed program because they wanted to look like they were solving problems. But in reality, they were only stoking fear and hatred. Although we are glad that we were successful in getting this language removed from the final bill, we also know that the fight against xenophobia and racism in the United States is ongoing. As leaders of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, we will continue to fight for laws that respect the equal rights of all Americans and move our country forward.”   

The provision had been in the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act (H.R. 5893) which funds the Departments of Commerce, Justice and other science-related programs.

Meng, Hirono and Chu—joined by a dozen other lawmakers—made their request to congressional leaders in a letter they sent in January to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Their letter can be viewed here.

Meng is a senior member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies which oversees the CJS Appropriations Act.