Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) have teamed up to reintroduce the Time to Choose Act, a bipartisan measure aimed at barring the Department of Defense and other federal agencies from contracting with consulting firms that simultaneously serve the Chinese government or its affiliates.
The legislation, which gained strong bipartisan backing in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee during the 118th Congress, seeks to force these firms to pick a side: align with U.S. interests or forfeit lucrative taxpayer-funded contracts.
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The Time to Choose Act addresses what its sponsors call a glaring conflict of interest, accusing some consulting firms of bolstering China’s global ambitions while profiting from American government deals. “Any firm who wants to help, support or represent Communist China’s best interests clearly is choosing to work against America’s best interests and choosing to forfeit access to federal tax dollars,” Scott said in a statement. “The Chinese Communist Party is one of our greatest adversaries, hellbent on destroying our way of life, crippling our industries, and spying on our citizens. Our bill requires firms to make a choice: support the freedom-loving United States or support the regime in Communist China. There’s no in between.”
Hawley echoed the sentiment, framing the legislation as a long-overdue reckoning. “For too long, these companies have basked in the financial security of government contracts while actively undermining our own national security,” he said. “It is unconscionable that we’ve allowed them to sell us out to the Chinese Communist Party by advancing their agenda rather than putting America’s interests first. My bill would bring that to an end.”
Peters, a key Democratic cosponsor, emphasized the national security stakes.
“The Chinese Communist Party is actively working to undermine our country at every turn,” he said. “This commonsense, bipartisan bill would prohibit companies that are providing consulting services to the Chinese government from receiving highly competitive government contracts, paid for by American taxpayers, to protect both our national security and our competitive edge in the global economy.”
The legislation lays out a clear framework to enforce its mandate. It would prohibit federal agencies from engaging consulting firms that hold contracts with the Chinese government or other designated foreign adversaries. Firms caught hiding or misrepresenting such ties would face stiff penalties, including contract termination, debarment from future federal work, and damages triple the value of their U.S. contracts.
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The reintroduction comes amid escalating tensions with China, as lawmakers across the aisle increasingly view Beijing as a strategic threat. The bill’s prior success in committee signals a rare point of unity in a polarized Congress, though its path through the full Senate and House remains uncertain with new legislative priorities emerging under the Trump administration.
For Scott, Hawley, and Peters, the Time to Choose Act is both a practical and symbolic salvo in the broader U.S.-China rivalry. By targeting the consulting industry—a sector that advises on everything from defense to economic policy—the senators aim to close a loophole they argue has allowed American resources to indirectly bolster an adversary. Whether the measure becomes law, its revival underscores a growing bipartisan resolve to confront China’s influence, one contract at a time.
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