Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz (FL-6) released the following statement regarding his appointment by Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) as a House Republican Core Conferee from the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to the Conference Committee considering the United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA):

“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is planning to overtake the United States militarily and economically,” said Waltz. “We are falling behind. In order to outpace the CCP and all adversaries, we must invest in American research, technologies, and manufacturing and prevent the CCP from stealing it."

“The CCP is stealing its way to the top through intellectual property theft and espionage,” said Waltz. “As a House Republican Conferee, I will work to ensure that CHIPS Act funding for semiconductors and investments in other technologies will not be stolen by the CCP.”

“I’m glad that Representative Waltz has been named as a conferee for this critical competitiveness legislation,” said House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Ranking Member Frank Lucas. “He has been working for two years to pass legislation to strengthen U.S. competitiveness on the world stage. His bill creating a national science and technology strategy is at the core of the bipartisan Science Committee bills that form the heart of this legislation. In his previous role as the Ranking Member of our Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Representative Waltz showed a firm commitment not only to increasing our investment in science and technology, but just as importantly, to protecting that investment from theft by the Chinese Communist Party. He knows that strong research protections are a necessary component of any research and development bill. I know he’ll be a strong voice for U.S. science and technology and I’m looking forward to working with him to produce a strategic competitiveness bill.”