A renewed push to include a bipartisan proposal scrutinizing US investments in China in must-pass defense legislation is being met with resistance after a deal to insert it into last year’s National Defense Authorization Act fell through at the eleventh hour.
The top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, is blocking the measure sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., from being cleared for inclusion in this year’s NDAA, a Senate aide familiar with the process told Semafor.
The aide added that all other committee leaders have greenlit the so-called outbound investment measure with the expectation that lawmakers will make changes to it in committee, though it was unclear what those tweaks might be.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said previously he’s consulting with some GOP lawmakers on the issue.
Cantwell did not respond to a request for comment.