The President’s opponents have promised to be difficult and now they have begun the process of making it official.
A horde of Senators, led by the Republican representative of Arkansas Tom Cotton and Democrat Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, have tabled a new bill which will be known as the Defending America’s 5G Future Act. The bill aims to reinforce the Executive Order signed by Trump, prohibiting the removal of Huawei from the Commerce Department Entity List without an act of Congress.
Other Senators backing the bill include the Republican representatives of Florida and Utah, Marco Rubio and Mitt Romney, as well as Democrats from Virginia and Connecticut, Mark Warner and Richard Blumenthal.
“Huawei isn’t a normal business partner for American companies, it’s a front for the Chinese Communist Party,” said Cotton. “Our bill reinforces the president’s decision to place Huawei on a technology blacklist. American companies shouldn’t be in the business of selling our enemies the tools they’ll use to spy on Americans.”
“The best way to address the national security threat we face from China’s telecommunications companies is to draw a clear line in the sand and stop retreating every time Beijing pushes back,” said Van Hollen. “By prohibiting American companies from doing business with Huawei, we finally sent an unequivocal message that we take this threat seriously and President Trump shouldn’t be able to trade away those legitimate security concerns.”
Despite Trump’s efforts to demonstrate the power of US sanctions, it seems there are politicians who genuinely believe the Chinese threat to the US, even if Trump doesn’t. That, or they just want to be awkward.
It has appeared over the last couple of weeks that the President has only be stirring the national security pot as a means to drive China back to the trade talks table, but other politicians haven’t read the playbook; if this was a demonstration of strength, with the intention to back down one the message had been heard, things are not going to plan.
Rubio is using the argument Huawei is a front for the Chinese Government, Warner objects to the use of national security as a bargaining chip, Blumenthal has bought into the dangers of Huawei as a company and so does Romney, who is also protesting to IP theft. It should come as little surprise, Trump has done an excellent job of rousing xenophobia and fear of globalisation, there were always going to be objections when Trump climbed down off the pillar of propaganda.
Soon enough, Trump will learn he is not able to run the US like a private business. He might be one of the most powerful people in the world, but his word is not gospel; the separation of powers in US Government prevents such suspect strategies. Amazingly, despite efforts to escalate an atmosphere of discord, Trump is managing to convince Senators to reach across the aisle in opposition.
It’s a rather beautiful representation of unity.