Trump tariff spike fuels new House bill to lock China out of US government tech

A bipartisan duo in the House is leading a crackdown on Chinese technology in the U.S. after President Donald Trump's tariff announcement.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, right (Getty Images)

The bill targets U.S. government technology purchased through the "gray market," an alternative channel for purchasing and selling genuine goods without the authorization of the manufacturer.

Fallon said his bill "dovetails" with Trump's hawkish stance on China.

"With the rising threat posed by Chinese aggression, not only in the Indo-Pacific, but here at home by means of artificial intelligence and cyberattacks, it’s critical that the Department of Defense secure its vital infrastructure," Fallon explained to Fox News Digital. 

"In order to do so, we must ensure that the U.S. military only purchases electronic equipment from approved vendors that are free from adversarial, particularly [Chinese Communist Party], influence."

Rep. Pat Fallon questions witnesses during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on the U.S. southern border in the Rayburn House Office Building Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

He praised Trump's "bold leadership" in the U.S. "breaking its dependency on Communist China."

"The SAFE Supply Chains Act dovetails with this endeavor and is in the best interest of U.S. national security," he said.

The White House said Thursday it had imposed 145% in new tariffs on China, up from the 125% Trump announced the day before.

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While hiking rates on China, Trump said he would reduce tariffs on other countries that did not retaliate against the U.S. to his baseline of 10%.

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"Look, for years we've been ripped off and taken advantage of by China — and others, in all fairness — but by China, there's a big one. And it's just one of those things," Trump said Wednesday.

Fallon's bill has a counterpart in the Senate led by senators John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Gary Peters, D-Mich.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-tariff-spike-fuels-new-house-bill-lock-china-out-us-government-tech