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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released the following statement today after the proposed 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included an amendment that he introduced with Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to reinforce current and future penalties on state-directed Chinese telecom companies such as ZTE and Huawei for violations of U.S. law:
 
“I am glad the NDAA will include our bipartisan amendment to restore penalties against ZTE’s egregious violations of American export controls and sanctions, and to hold fully accountable ZTE, Huawei and other Chinese telecommunications companies for future violations of U.S. law. The Chinese government uses these companies for espionage and intellectual property theft, posing a direct threat to our national security and endangering the American people and our economy. I urge my colleagues to support this provision’s inclusion to impose consequences against China’s current and future violations of U.S. laws.”
 
The Cotton-Van Hollen-Schumer-Rubio amendment would:
 
·         Reinstate penalties against ZTE for violating U.S. export controls and sanctions laws.
·         Prohibit the federal government in the future from modifying any U.S. government penalty against Chinese telecommunications companies like ZTE and Huawei unless the modification meets certain high-standard criteria.
·         Prohibit all U.S. government agencies from purchasing or leasing telecommunications equipment and/or services from Huawei, ZTE, or any subsidiaries or affiliates.
·         Ban the U.S. government from using grants and loans to subsidize Huawei, ZTE, or any subsidiaries or affiliates.