Congress sounds bipartisan alarm as Trump deals on ZTE
WASHINGTON — As the Trump administration reached a deal Friday to reduce sanctions on the Chinese telecom giant ZTE, Congress has shown rare unity in working to prevent the president from giving in to the foreign-backed company in a way that would compromise national security.
And more backlash is expected from Congress to the apparent deal, which would force ZTE to pay a fine, install U.S. compliance officers and force the company to change board members, according to a person familiar with the deal and first reported by the New York Times.
Once those three requirements are completed, the company would then be able to once again access the U.S. market. Senior officials at the Commerce Department have informed Congress of the agreement, the source confirms.
The deal represents what members of both parties have been warning against — giving ZTE the ability to once again do business in the U.S.
"If the administration goes through with this reported deal, President Trump would be helping make China great again. Simply a fine and changing board members would not protect America's economic or national security, and would be a huge victory for President Xi, and a dramatic retreat by President Trump," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.
And Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., a member of the Intelligence Committee, said this "crushes U.S. companies."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/congress-sounds-bipartisan-alarm-as-trump-deals-on-zte/ar-AAxPlWG?li=BBnbfcL
= new reply since forum marked as read
