In response to alarming breaches of U.S. telecommunications infrastructure by China-linked hackers, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark E. Green (R-TN) and Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) are calling for decisive action against the CCP.
The bipartisan warning comes after revelations that Chinese state-sponsored actors infiltrated major U.S. cellular networks, accessing sensitive communications and personal data of millions of Americans, including political leaders.
In an op-ed published by Fox News on December 16, Green and Moolenaar described the breach as a “broad and significant cyber espionage campaign,” urging the incoming Trump-Vance administration and Congress to impose severe penalties to deter future aggression.
The cyber intrusions reportedly targeted the data of President-elect Donald Trump, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, and staffers from Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign. Federal authorities believe the CCP-affiliated hackers remain embedded in U.S. telecommunications systems, posing a continued threat to both government and private sectors.
“This attack on American sovereignty should not come as a surprise,” Green and Moolenaar wrote. “For too long, the CCP has paid no real price for its increasingly aggressive intrusions into our homeland.”
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The lawmakers highlighted other alarming Chinese activities on U.S. soil, including the operation of illegal police stations to intimidate dissidents and the 2023 surveillance balloon incident. Additionally, they pointed to “Volt Typhoon,” a China-sponsored cyber campaign that infiltrated critical U.S. infrastructure, such as water systems, electric grids, and pipelines.
“In the face of each brazen attack, the Biden administration played defense,” they stated. “It is past time to hit back.”
Green and Moolenaar outlined a multi-pronged strategy to counter CCP aggression:
- Targeted Sanctions: Escalating penalties on senior CCP officials involved in human rights abuses and economic espionage.
- Economic Pressure: Imposing costs on China’s state-backed companies, seen as critical to CCP interests.
- Transparency: Exposing the financial dealings of top Chinese officials and restricting visas for their families.
- Cyber Offensive Measures: Empowering U.S. government cyber operators to conduct offensive operations against Chinese state actors.
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The lawmakers also called for major reforms to improve U.S. cybersecurity, including enhanced public-private collaboration, faster threat reporting systems, and incentivizing private companies to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities before attacks occur.
The breach of U.S. cellular networks comes amid heightened fears of Chinese cyber espionage targeting critical infrastructure and sensitive communications. Reports of missing radioactive material in New Jersey and unexplained drone activity in recent weeks have further fueled speculation about coordinated threats.
“As the threat of CCP’s aggression continues to grow, it is clear that America’s security cannot rely on defensive measures alone,” Green and Moolenaar concluded. “The time has come for the Executive Branch to respond with targeted but decisive actions that impose actual costs on the CCP.”
With the Trump-Vance administration preparing to take office, both lawmakers emphasized the need for urgent action to safeguard U.S. security and sovereignty.
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