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Opposition to the Langevin Amendment to the NDAA

July 14, 2022
Speeches

Washington, D.C. – Congressman McClintock delivered remarks on the House floor in opposition to the Langevin Amendment to the NDAA.

Watch the full remarks here and a transcript is below:

Mr. Speaker:

This amendment allows the admission of scientists and technical experts from foreign countries to work on the national security innovation base. Without a clear provision forbidding foreign nationals from hostile regimes like China and Iran, we should strongly oppose this amendment.

The Democrats' open border policies have produced the largest illegal mass migration in our nation's history. Since they took power, including deliberate releases and got-aways, the Democrats have allowed into our country an illegal population larger than that of the entire population of West Virginia. We have apprehended at that border scores of persons on the terrorist watch list, and have no idea of how many more have come in among the 800,000 got-aways who evaded apprehension as the Border Patrol was overwhelmed processing these unprecedented numbers.

The Democrats' unconditional surrender to the Taliban last year released more than 5,000 terrorists held at Bagram Air Base. Ten days later, one of those terrorists detonated the bomb that killed ten Marines at Abbey Gate. We have no idea where the other 5,000-plus are today, but it's a good bet that more than a few have been among those got-aways. Obviously, the security of the United States is not high on the Democrats' list of concerns.

Instead of addressing this national security crisis, the Democrats have pursued one measure after another to encourage still more immigration, legal and illegal, and this amendment should concern us all.

Some of our greatest military breakTHROUGHS have come from foreign born scientists – the Manhattan project comes to mind. But so too, some of our worst security breakDOWNS have come from foreign scientists, and I do not trust this administration to know or care about the difference.

China, for example, is so intent on using our U.S. immigration system to steal our sensitive technologies that the Trump Administration had to issue a proclamation suspending entry of certain Chinese students and researchers.

The Trump Administration found that – quote – "The People's Republic of China is engaged in a wide-ranging and heavily resourced campaign to acquire sensitive United States technologies . . . to bolster the modernization and capability of its military." (Unquote)

The proclamation warned that – quote -- "students or researchers from the PRC studying beyond the undergraduate level . . . are at high risk of being exploited or co-opted by the PRC."

In fact, the Department of Homeland Security warned us in 2020 that the Chinese government REQUIRES its nationals to "support, assist and cooperate with State intelligence work."

The idea for this amendment came at least in part from the Commission on Artificial Intelligence, which called for "increasing China's brain drain." So clearly the green cards contemplated under this amendment would go to Chinese nationals.

The last thing we should do is make it easy for the Chinese Communist Party to gain access to our National Security Innovation Base work, Department of Defense research, or other critical technologies.

I would also note that, sadly, our new woke Department of Defense does not have a great track record regarding immigration programs.

Many of you may remember that the Department of Defense supported and encouraged the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest – or MAVNI -- program through which foreign nationals were able to enlist in the U.S. military. Once enlisted, they were eligible to naturalize.

The Obama Administration was forced to halt the program when it was discovered that the Department had allowed some Chinese spies to enlist in the military.

Let that sink in – the Department of Defense allowed Chinese spies to enlist in the U.S military. Add to this the Biden family's questionable financial ties to China and the ingratiation of Chinese spies with several members of Congress, and this amendment becomes most disturbing and accordingly, I urge the House to oppose it.

The Democrats' record speaks for itself. No concern for the dire national security implications of their open-borders policy. No concern for the infiltration of hostile foreign agents into our military. No concern for the ingratiation of foreign agents into our legislative and executive branches.

But Americans SHOULD be concerned. VERY concerned. And until there is a sea-change in the attitude of the ruling Democrats toward our national safety and security and sovereignty, amendments like this should be utterly rejected.

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Issues:Illegal Immigration - Border CrisisNational Defense