Senate's bipartisan swing at China faces GOP curveballs
Chuck Schumer’s bid to put a bipartisan China bill on the Senate floor this month is in danger thanks to a behind-the-scenes GOP push to pump the brakes on an issue personally vital to the majority leader.
Senators from both parties have publicly projected confidence in recent days about the prospect of coming together on a historic effort to counter China’s global influence, a rare alignment in a bitterly partisan era on an issue that could prove politically valuable to everyone involved. But in reality, the state of the talks is growing more precarious.
“A lot of my colleagues are approaching me and indicating that we need to slow this thing down,” Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), Schumer’s lead GOP partner on the China effort, told POLITICO on Wednesday. “They’re conscientious and want to grow comfortable with the text. We have to get this right. This is an incredibly consequential bill.”
Young’s assessment reflects the ripple effects of the Senate’s broader dynamics, with Republicans chafed as Democrats seek to push through President Joe Biden’s top agenda items without support from the GOP. The parties’ interests overlap considerably on China, as both sides acknowledge the need to out-compete Beijing on the technological front and curb its theft of U.S. intellectual property. But that accord could wither in the heat of a 50-50 Senate.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/senates-bipartisan-swing-at-china-faces-gop-curveballs/ar-BB1fF15h
So I guess the concern is who's going to make the MAGA hats and other junk if we piss off China?
