Examining Policies to Counter China

Defense Posture and Global ThreatsHouse Financial Services · 2025-02-25 · 119th Congress
The House Financial Services Committee held this hearing to examine U.S. Begins at 0:19:30
Transcript
Highlights

Title

Examining U.S. financial and economic policy tools to counter China

Purpose

The House Financial Services Committee held this hearing to examine U.S. policy tools — sanctions, export controls, CFIUS/outbound investment review, multilateral lending institutions, and anti-money-laundering enforcement — for countering China's economic, technological, and criminal influence. Five witnesses testified on topics ranging from Chinese fentanyl-linked money laundering and belt-and-road debt practices to tech export controls, nuclear energy financing, and IMF/World Bank reform, while members split along partisan lines over whether Trump administration actions (tariffs, USAID cuts, Elon Musk's role at DOGE and business ties to China) undermine or advance the stated goal of countering China. Begins at0:19:30

Who spoke

Chairman French Hill (R-AR)0:19:30: Opened by arguing that beating China requires doubling down on American strengths — fiscal sustainability, capital markets, energy access, and public health/safety — rather than relying solely on sanctions and export controls0:21:30.

Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA)0:23:31: Argued Trump and "unelected co-president" Elon Musk are undermining alliances and giving China a "free pass" via tariffs on allies, USAID cuts, and Greenland/Panama Canal threats0:25:03; later, in questioning, pressed on Musk's Tesla/China business ties1:24:18.

John Miller, ITI Senior VP/General Counsel0:29:35: Testified ITI released a paper with 10 economic security recommendations, including reinstating immediate R&D expensing and CHIPS Act permitting reform0:33:39; later called for a risk-based, "green light/red light" approach to outbound investment rather than a one-size-fits-all ban1:47:37.

Nicholas McMurray, ClearPath Managing Director0:34:40: Said China has 57 operating and 28 under-construction nuclear reactors versus zero under construction in the US0:35:11; recommended reauthorizing and expanding the Export-Import Bank's China and Transformational Exports Program and DFC's nuclear financing authority0:37:42.

John Cassara, retired Treasury Special Agent0:39:44: Said DEA seized over 77 million fentanyl pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of powder in 2023, enough to kill every American, with 117,000 US overdose deaths that year0:40:45; estimated CCP-linked transnational crime at roughly $2 trillion a year0:43:17; called for eliminating beneficial-ownership loopholes for shell companies and real estate agents1:13:41.

Martin Mühleisen, Atlantic Council/former IMF official0:44:48: Recommended the US push China into the Paris Club framework for sovereign debt restructuring0:56:30; noted the IMF's roughly $1 trillion lending capacity leverages the US contribution more than 5-to-10:47:49.

Dr. Rush Doshi, Council on Foreign Relations/Georgetown0:48:20: Said Beijing's industrial support equals about 2% of its economy annually (~$400 billion), twice US support and far more than the ~$50 billion CHIPS Act0:50:52; said the US share of global manufacturing fell from 30% to 15% while China's rose from 6% to 30% after China joined the WTO0:51:22; warned failing to stand with Ukraine would embolden China on Taiwan1:32:56.

Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH)0:53:54: Criticized the administration for "demolishing" US global leadership while holding a hearing on countering China0:54:24.

Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY)1:47:06: Discussed his Chinese Military Surveillance Company Sanctions Act and the COINS Act, and cited an 87% drop in US venture capital deals in China1:48:38.

Rep. Ranking Member (Foreign Affairs) Gregory Meeks (D-NY)1:30:55: Cited the US vote against a UN resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and asked whether China would read this as a signal on Taiwan1:32:26.

Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO)1:36:00: Cited an estimate of three overdose deaths per day in Missouri from fentanyl1:36:00; pressed Cassara on Chinese government complicity in fentanyl financing1:38:01.

Rep. David Scott (D-GA)1:41:33: Described a Chinese cyberattack on the committee itself and criticized past handling of the Chinese spy balloon1:43:04.

Rep. Andy Barr's colleague Rep. Bar (R-KY) *(see above)*

Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL)2:35:07: Said a bipartisan outbound-investment screening provision was stripped from a continuing resolution under pressure from Elon Musk2:35:37; cited Musk's $120 million meme-coin trades by Chinese investors and $100 million in fees to Trump-affiliated entities2:38:08.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA)3:06:07: Entered articles on Musk's China ties into the record and, via witness Q&A, established Musk received $1.4 billion in Chinese loans and met China's vice president before Trump's inauguration3:07:003:09:03.

Rep. Al Green (D-TX)3:36:20: Criticized the US vote against the UN resolution condemning Russia and warned against rewarding aggression3:37:21.

Rep. William Timmons (R-SC)2:50:16: Asked about mitigating PRC cyber incursions following Volt Typhoon and Flax Typhoon hacking campaigns2:50:47.

Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL)2:13:25: Focused questioning on AI competition, GPU export control enforcement, and hardware "kill switch" solutions to prevent smuggling to China2:15:27.

Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK)1:16:13: Asked about US energy leadership and how to disrupt fentanyl-linked financial networks1:17:43.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA)1:20:48: Proposed barring capital-gains tax subsidies for Americans investing in Chinese stocks; asked all witnesses to raise hands if they supported such subsidies — none did1:24:48.

Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX)1:57:14: Discussed his China Financial Threat Mitigation Act requiring a study of US financial exposure to China1:57:44.

Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH)2:07:50: Criticized "conflict minerals"-style supply-chain due diligence burdens on small manufacturers as an ineffective outbound-investment model2:08:50.

Rep. Young Kim (R-CA)3:00:54: Asked about deep seek's rise and reintroduced the Strengthening Exports Against China Act3:02:26.

Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA)3:57:33: Discussed his Neutralizing Unfair Chinese Subsidy Act of 2025 and cited Pakistan's $77 billion, Sri Lanka's $11 billion, and Kenya's $9 billion debts to China3:59:03.

Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN)3:22:11: Discussed her Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act to publish and restrict US financial services to senior CCP officials in the event of Chinese action against Taiwan3:24:12.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Williams (D-GA)3:26:14: Argued the hearing should focus on Elon Musk's influence rather than China broadly, citing CDC and Atlanta airport funding concerns3:29:16.

Key moments

Cassara testified DEA seized more than 77 million fentanyl pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of powder in 2023 — enough to kill every American — with 117,000 US overdose deaths that year, 70% from opioids0:40:450:41:15.

Doshi said China's industrial subsidies run about $400 billion a year, roughly twice US support and eight times the multi-year CHIPS Act total, while the US manufacturing share fell from 30% to 15% as China's rose from 6% to 30%0:50:520:51:22.

Sherman asked all five witnesses to raise their hands if they supported capital-gains tax subsidies for Americans investing in Chinese stocks; no hand went up1:24:48.

McMurray testified China has 57 operating and 28 under-construction nuclear reactors versus zero under construction in the US, and China is investing roughly $940 billion in clean energy0:35:110:36:11.

Casten said a bipartisan outbound-investment screening provision was removed from the continuing resolution under pressure from Elon Musk, and detailed roughly $120 million in Trump family meme-coin fees and a $30 million infusion from Justin Sun2:35:372:38:38.

Pressley used a Q&A format to have witnesses confirm, name by name, that Elon Musk received $1.4 billion in Chinese loans, met China's vice president the day before the inauguration, and now heads DOGE with access to Treasury systems3:07:293:09:03.

Mühleisen and Chairman Hill sparred over an IMF report praising China's "constructive role" in debt restructuring; Mühleisen agreed China should join the Paris Club but noted China rejected the idea0:55:550:57:33.

Doshi warned that the US vote against the UN resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine could embolden China on Taiwan, saying "if we don't stand for Ukraine they will be emboldened"1:32:56.

Cassara said understanding beneficial ownership of anonymous shell companies is "the last major hurdle" in anti-money-laundering enforcement, citing a Massachusetts shell-company fentanyl scheme tied to Ohio overdoses2:26:032:25:03.

Waters and Barragán both pressed on Elon Musk's Tesla ties to China (over half of vehicles produced there, ~40% of battery supply from Chinese firms) as undermining the administration's stated anti-China posture0:26:34.

Metadata

CommitteeHouse Financial Services
Chamber / CongressHouse · 119th Congress
Date2025-02-25
TypeHearing
Witnesses
Mr. John Cassara — Special Agent, United States Department of Treasury (Retired)
Mr. John Miller — Senior Vice President of Policy for Trust, Data, and Technology and General Counsel, Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
Mr. Nicholas McMurray — Managing Director, ClearPath
Mr. Martin Mühleisen — Nonresident Senior Fellow, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council
Dr. Rush Doshi — C.V. Starr Senior Fellow for Asia Studies and Director of the China Strategy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations; and Assistant Professor, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
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Transcript445 caption blocks · 34,976 words · 4:04:45 runtime
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