Reps. Murphy, Banks, Abraham Introduce Legislation to Prevent Chinese Espionage on Capitol Hill
December 18, 2020 -- Press Release
Washington, D.C. – On Friday, December 18, 2020, Congressmen Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03), Jim Banks (IN-03), and Ralph Abraham, M.D. (LA-05) introduced the Stop China’s Heinous Exploitation and Malicious Espionage (SCHEME) Against Congressional Access Act to bolster security against Chinese espionage amid recent reports that a Chinese operative had successfully infiltrated Capitol Hill in 2014. The bill requires the House and Senate Sergeant-at-Arms to consult with the Department of National Intelligence (DNI), the Department of State, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to create an interagency background review plan that more strictly assesses ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
All Congressional staff members and paid interns would be required to undergo this background check. If staffers are found to be connected to the Chinese Community Party (CCP) or have intent to commit espionage, they would be fired immediately, reported to the intelligence committees, and brought under investigation by the FBI.
“China will stop at nothing to steal American classified intelligence and intellectual property. Now that we know the Chinese have successfully infiltrated the halls of Congress, we must do the responsible thing and act accordingly,” said Murphy. “Representatives often deal with highly sensitive information, and the FBI must be alerted if the people who members work with on a daily basis have ulterior motives against our great nation. I believe the SCHEME Against Congressional Access Act can help fix this breach in our security.”
“The Swalwell scandal was a massive breach of America's national security, and I hope Rep. Swalwell will do the right thing and resign,” said Banks. “But even with Christina Fang back in Beijing and Rep. Swalwell off of the Intelligence Committee, Congress would still be at risk of Chinese Communist Party infiltration. We need to be proactive to ensure we never find ourselves in this situation again.”
“We know well the threat the CCP poses to our national security and we must do all we can to make sure they do not have access to our nation’s secrets,” said Abraham. “Recent news that a member of the House Intelligence Committee was compromised by a CCP agent is deeply concerning and we must ensure this cannot happen in the future. I believe the SCHEME Against Congressional Access Act will help prevent such egregious breaches from happening again.”
Source: https://gregmurphy.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-murphy-banks-abraham-introduce-legislation-prevent-chinese-espionage