Congress must curb defense contractors’ ties to China

OPINION:

On March 5, the House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing on threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The timing was fitting, as China responded to former President Trump’s proposed tariffs on the same day by declaring that it could fight the U.S. in any war.

As Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) stated before the hearing, “From infiltrating American higher education and operating clandestine police stations on U.S. soil to conducting cyber espionage and undermining our supply chains – Beijing casts an authoritarian shadow upon the United States.” He’s right, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The CCP has also aided and abetted illegal immigration at the U.S. southern border, attempted to buy up strategic assets like the Panama Canal, and played a key role in concealing—and likely creating—the COVID-19 virus, which killed over one million Americans.

Countering CCP influence requires a multi-pronged approach — banning Chinese nationals from purchasing American land, reasserting U.S. control over the Panama Canal, using diplomacy to disrupt China’s increasingly close relationship with Russia, canceling visas for Chinese students at American universities, reshoring supply chains, and strengthening the U.S. Navy in preparation for a potential conflict over Taiwan.

Yet, the congressional hearing failed to address one primary vector of CCP influence: the need to impose more rules on government leaders and contractors — like Elon Musk, the indispensable leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and space and national security contractor for the federal government — to better protect the U.S. from China.

Now, before you roll your eyes and close this tab, rest assured — this is not another DNC-workshopped, anti-DOGE hit piece. I’m a fan of Mr. Musk. Democrats’ Musk Derangement Syndrome—often bordering on outright xenophobia (attacking his status as a legal immigrant) —is nothing more than a political messaging strategy aimed at rallying their base and chipping away at Mr. Trump’s approval ratings. However, concerns about Musk’s ties to China — however unintentional their potential effects on the U.S. maybe — are not just partisan noise; they are authentic, bipartisan, and rooted in national security risks.

In February, Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), who chairs the House Select Committee on the CCP, stated that “the CCP will try and leverage any opportunity” to exploit Musk’s business ties to its advantage. Former Trump campaign manager Steve Bannon and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have both similarly warned of China’s potential ability to undermine U.S. interests through their proximity to Musk and his business interests.

Tesla relies heavily on China. It is the company’s second-largest market, and Musk has suggested it could become the top market in the near future. Musk secured over $1.4 billion in loans from a state-controlled Chinese bank to build Tesla’s Gigafactory in Shanghai. In return, he has navigated the Chinese political landscape with a businessman’s pragmatism—sometimes praising China’s governance model and pledging to uphold “core socialist values” in the country. None of this may seem like a big deal, but it is considering that Chinese laws require private companies operating in the country to give the Chinese government any information it demands.

Doing business in China is not a crime. Neither is saying favorable things about the country that might help one sell more electric vehicles. What is a crime, however, is that Congress does not better investigate and police defense contractors who do business there to ensure their companies don’t have any potential vulnerabilities to the country’s Military-Civil Fusion laws or risks of falling prey to one of the CCP’s many espionage campaigns.

Taking steps to separate certain aspects of one’s business life from government life is not unprecedented. David Sachs, the president’s Crypto czar, already did the right thing by liquidating his digital currency holdings when coming to the White House. No one should expect or mandate that Mr. Musk walk away from the companies he founded, but having him agree to some basic oversight or business requirements is reasonable.

Again, the solution is not to sideline Mr. Musk or similar companies and businesses that face the same concerns. It is to implement policies that ensure his business dealings do not conflict with U.S. national security interests. Congress must establish clear safeguards that protect both Elon Musk and the homeland from the CCP’s far-reaching influence. The future of American security depends on it.

• Col. Robert L. Maness (Ret), host of The Rob Maness Show, is a 32-year United States Air Force combat veteran, where he served as commander of the 377th Air Base Wing, Kirtland Air Force Base. He was a member of the Trump Campaign’s Veterans and Military Families for Trump Coalition. Follow him on X @RobManess.