Latest News

Guthrie Votes Against Democrats’ “America Concedes Act”

Washington, February 4, 2022 | S.K. Bowen (202-225-3501)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) released the following statement after voting against Democrats’ America COMPETES Act.

“If Congressional Democrats were serious about increasing America’s global competitiveness against China, then they would have not written ‘coral reef’ and ‘climate change’ more times than ‘China’ in their America COMPETES Act, or better known as the ‘America Concedes Act.’  The Democrats' ‘competition’ bill even gifts $8 billion to the United Nation’s Green Climate Fund that has previously handed out $100 million to China.

“The United States should be the leader in global competition and innovation. We should focus on holding China accountable for cheating and stealing American intellectual property (IP) and removing regulatory barriers on American companies to help American innovation thrive.

“I submitted two amendments to push back against the ‘America Concedes Act’ that would remove a regulatory burden on deploying broadband and ensure taxpayer dollars are not given to the World Health Organization until terms on COVID-19’s origins and gain-of-function research are met. As expected, House Democrats rejected these commonsense amendments and pushed the ‘America Concedes Act’ through the House today,” said Guthrie.

Background:

Amendment on COVID-19 origins and gain-of-function research

Guthrie’s amendment prevents the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from sending money to the World Health Organization (WHO) until the President can certify that

  • WHO was not directly involved in the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • WHO is not compromised by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
  • None of the World Health Organization’s resources are going to research initiatives at labs operated by the CCP or within China to conduct gain-of-function research
  • WHO can prove they have accountability and transparency measures in place within their organization

Amendment on Broadband Deployment

Guthrie’s amendment helps with broadband deployment by removing onerous, union-backed wage requirements that could drive up costs, further delay broadband deployment, and ultimately make our local economies less competitive in the digital age.

###