[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 132 (Thursday, July 31, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5065-S5066]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 3247. Mr. BUDD (for himself and Mr. Kelly) submitted an amendment
intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize
appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle D of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 1248. MONITORING OF EFFORTS BY THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF
CHINA TO BUILD OR BUY STRATEGIC PORTS.
(a) Mapping and Strategy Required.--
(1) Mapping of strategic ports.--The Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall--
(A) develop an updated, global mapping of strategic ports
identified to be of importance to the United States, because
of a capability to provide military, diplomatic, economic, or
resource exploration superiority; and
(B) identify any efforts by the Government of the People's
Republic of China (in this section referred to as the
``PRC'') or other PRC entities to build, buy, or otherwise
control, directly or indirectly, such ports.
(2) Submission of map.--The Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit the
mapping developed pursuant to paragraph (1) to the
appropriate congressional committees. Such submission shall
be in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
(b) Department of State and Department of Defense Study and
Report on Strategic Ports.--
(1) Study required.--The Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall conduct a
study of--
(A) strategic ports;
(B) the reasons such ports are of interest to the United
States;
(C) the activities and plans of the Government of the PRC
to expand its control over strategic ports outside of the
PRC;
(D) the public and private actors, such as China Ocean
Shipping Company, that are executing and supporting the
activities and plans of the Government of the PRC to expand
its control over strategic ports outside of the PRC;
(E) the activities and plans of the Government of the PRC
to expand its control over maritime logistics by promoting
products and setting industry standards outside the PRC;
(F) how the control by the Government of the PRC over
strategic ports outside of the PRC could harm the national
security or economic interests of the United States and
allies and partners of the United States; and
(G) measures the United States Government could take to
ensure open access and security for strategic ports and offer
alternatives to PRC investments or stakes in strategic ports.
[[Page S5066]]
(2) Conduct of study.--The Secretary of State and the
Secretary of Defense may enter into an arrangement with a
federally funded research and development center under which
the center shall conduct the study required under paragraph
(1).
(3) Report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to
the appropriate congressional committees a report on the
findings of the study conducted under paragraph (1).
(B) Elements.--The report required by subparagraph (A)
shall include--
(i) a detailed list of all known strategic ports operated,
controlled, or owned, directly or indirectly, by the PRC or
by a foreign person of the PRC, and an assessment of the
national security and economic interests relevant to each
such port;
(ii) a detailed list of all known strategic ports operated,
controlled, or owned, directly or indirectly, by the United
States or United States persons and an assessment of the
national security and economic interests relevant to each
such port;
(iii) an assessment of vulnerabilities of--
(I) ports operated, controlled, or owned, directly or
indirectly, by the United States; and
(II) strategic ports;
(iv) an analysis of the activities and actions of the
Government of the PRC to gain control or ownership over
strategic ports, including promoting products and setting
industry standards;
(v) an assessment of how the Government of the PRC plans to
expand its control over strategic ports outside of the PRC;
(vi) a suggested strategy, developed in consultation with
the heads of the relevant United States Government offices,
that suggests courses of action to secure trusted investment
and ownership of strategic ports and maritime infrastructure,
protect such ports and infrastructure from PRC control, and
ensure open access and security for such ports, that
includes--
(I) a list of relevant existing authorities that can be
used to carry out the strategy;
(II) a list of any additional authorities necessary to
carry out the strategy;
(III) an assessment of products owned by the Government of
the PRC or by an entity headquartered in the PRC that are
used in connection with strategic ports or maritime
infrastructure;
(IV) an assessment of the costs to--
(aa) secure such trusted investment and ownership;
(bb) replace products owned by the Government of the PRC or
an entity headquartered in the PRC that are used in
connection with such ports; and
(cc) enhance transparency around the negative impacts of
PRC control over strategic ports; and
(V) a list of funding sources to secure trusted investment
and ownership of strategic ports, which shall include--
(aa) an identification of private funding sources; and
(bb) an identification of public funding sources, including
loans, loan guarantees, and tax incentives;
(vii) a suggested strategy for Federal agencies to maintain
an up-to-date list of strategic ports; and
(viii) an assessment of any national security threat posed
by such investments or activities to United States diplomatic
and defense personnel and facilities in the vicinity of such
ports, including through cyber threats, electronically
enabled espionage, or other means.
(C) Form of report.--The report required by subparagraph
(A) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include
a classified annex.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on Armed
Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of
Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign
Relations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the
Senate.
(2) Relevant united states government offices.--The term
``relevant United States Government offices'' means--
(A) the Unified Combatant Commands;
(B) the Office of the Secretary of Defense;
(C) the Office of the Secretary of State;
(D) the International Trade Administration of the
Department of Commerce;
(E) the United States International Development Finance
Corporation;
(F) the Office of the Director of National Intelligence;
(G) the Maritime Administration of the Department of
Transportation; and
(H) the Federal Maritime Commission.
(3) Strategic port.--The term ``strategic port'' means a
non-domestic port or waterway that the heads of the relevant
United States Government offices determine is critical to the
national security or economic prosperity of the United
States.
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