On Thursday (Feb. 4), senior Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) formally suspended the Senate’s confirmation vote on Biden Commerce Secretary nominee Gina Raimondo due to Raimondo’s unclear position on Chinese telecom giant huawei.
Cruz tweeted Thursday, “I will lift the hold when the Biden Administration promises to keep Huawei, which (helped) the Chinese Communist Party (conduct) a massive spying operation, on the list of (Commerce Department) entities.”
The Trump (Trump) administration’s Commerce Department placed Huawei on the “Entity List” and imposed strict export controls on Huawei because of its close ties to the Chinese Communist government and the espionage threat it poses.
During her previous confirmation hearing, Raimondo said that if she is confirmed, she will “review the policy, consult with you, consult with industry, consult with our allies, and evaluate what is best for the national and economic security of the United States,” but when asked by Cruz if she would ensure Huawei is on the Entity List, she did not make a clear commitment.
She later said in a written response to questions from members of the Senate Commerce Committee that she had “no reason to believe that the entities on those lists should not exist.”
In Wednesday’s committee vote, Raimondo still passed by a vote of 21-3. The nomination will have to go to the full House for a vote to formally complete the confirmation process.
Cruz tweeted after the committee vote Wednesday that “Gina Raimondo’s ethics and weak stance on China (CCP), including her refusal to commit to listing Huawei as an entity, is deeply troubling.” “That’s why I voted against advancing her nomination, and I urge my colleagues to refuse to confirm her.”
Other Republican senators, including Tom Cotton (R-Texas), Ben Sasse (R-Calif.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), had sent a letter to Raimondo asking her to clarify her position on listing Huawei as an entity.
A coalition of nearly 20 Republican House members led by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also pressed the Senate to hold off on voting on Raimondo’s nomination until she made her position on Huawei clear.
McCaul has repeatedly said that the Biden administration’s continued refusal to commit to keeping Huawei on the Commerce Department’s list of entities is “alarming and dangerous. On Thursday, he issued a statement praising Cruz’s decision immediately after Cruz’s tweet.
“I have repeatedly reiterated that Huawei is not a normal telecommunications company, that it is an arm of the Chinese Communist Party’s military, that it poses a significant threat to U.S. national security, and that it supports the Communist Party’s genocide in Xinjiang,” McCaul said in a written statement. or pledge to ‘turn around and talk again’.”
He continued, “The American people and our allies must receive a clear and direct answer as to whether President Biden is committed to keeping Huawei on the list of entities and clearly stating its export control policies for entities controlled or influenced by the Chinese Communist Party.”
Since Biden took office, the media has twice questioned White House press secretary Jen Psaki about Huawei. In her press briefing, Psaki emphasized that “telecommunications equipment produced by untrusted suppliers, including Huawei, threatens the security of the United States and its allies.” But she has not yet confirmed whether Huawei will remain on the Commerce Department’s list of entities.
The Trump Administration has put enormous pressure on Huawei, which last year signed laws and regulations prohibiting the use of federal funds to purchase Huawei equipment, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted unanimously to categorize Huawei as a national security threat.
Huawei, for its part, denies the threat allegations and is currently contesting the FCC’s designation in court.
Because the Senate is currently controlled by Democrats, the majority party does not need an overwhelming majority of 60 votes, and a simple majority of 51 votes will be able to end the debate on confirmation of personnel appointments. Democrats can veto Cruz’s request for a stay and confirm Raimondo as Commerce Secretary by a simple majority as long as they can get 51 votes, including one from Vice President He Jinli.
But because the Senate will begin its impeachment trial against former President Trump next week, as well as consider the $1.9 trillion bailout bill proposed by Biden, and Republican Senator Graham has announced that no confirmation vote will be taken during the impeachment trial, it is not known when the Senate will vote on Raimondo’s nomination for the full House.
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