Congress got exactly one thing right in 2023.
Historians and Congress-watchers will have plenty to say about the 118th Congress. None of it will be positive.
From the start, this Congress was a shambles. The last time it required multiple ballots to elect a Speaker of the House was 1923, exactly 100 years ago. In January, it took Kevin McCarthy a whopping 15 ballots—aided by several members voting “present” to lower the required threshold—to eke out a majority.
The Speaker McCarthy era lasted fewer than nine inglorious months. McCarthy was ousted on Oct. 3 by a historic “motion to vacate” put forth by a fellow Republican—the first time the process for removing a House Speaker has been successfully used in our nation’s history.
Then, it took House Republicans 22 days, running through four nominees—Reps. Scalise, Jordan, Emmer, and finally settling on Mike Johnson of Louisiana—to find another one.
A few weeks later, on Dec. 1, now former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) was expelled from the House, the first time that ever happened to a member not supporting the confederacy or having been convicted of a federal crime.
In between, Congress did virtually nothing. Even People Magazine called it “the least productive year in modern history.”
Except for, I would argue, one thing: Establishing the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The House voted overwhelmingly 365-65 on Jan. 10 to create the committee, which is tasked with exploring the role of the CCP and its threat to our national and economic security, and to develop a plan of action to respond.
So far, the committee has worked well. It’s helmed by two serious and collaborative lawmakers: Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.). The committee members aren’t flamethrowers and seem committed to making it work. The panel also has a knack for drawing media and public attention with prime-time hearings, trips to Wall Street, Hollywood, and industrial states, and savvy social media bits, along with deep dives into the array of serious issues at hand.
The committee also noticed the work we have performed at the Alliance for American Manufacturing since 2007 to expose, analyze, socialize, and elevate these issues. I was honored to be one of the very first witnesses at the kick-off hearing of the Select Committee on Feb. 28, alongside a well-known dissident and two former senior officials from the last administration. In my testimony, I outlined the history of our flawed relationship, the consequences of our policy choices on jobs and security, as well as specific recommendations on how to right the ship.
In December, the committee approved a series of 150 recommendations on economic, technology, and trade policy. While we at AAM don’t agree with 100% of the recommendations, the majority of the policy changes are spot-on, and would create long-overdue and significant change in the U.S.-China relationship.
That’s on top of recommendations the committee release on the genocide of Uyghurs and the CCP’s aggression towards Taiwan. We can expect more from the committee in 2024. Ultimately, it’s going to be up to the House leadership and the various committee with legislative authority over all of these matters to move the agenda forward, but the process is off to a good start.
As I wrote in Real Clear Politics in January, just after the committee formed:
“To be judged a success, the Select Committee on China must advance actionable outcomes that improve conditions for American workers and businesses that face Chinese import competition.”
While attention to the U.S.-China relationship ebbs and flows—think of the “spy balloon,” for instance—the structural challenges will always be there until we fix them. That’s why the Select Committee’s work is so important.