TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The US House of Representatives begins a new session on Monday (Sept. 9), and a major focus for the next three weeks will be legislation aimed at countering China’s influence and aggression, according to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. 

Speaking with Fox News on Friday (Sept. 6), Scalise said the House is preparing a raft of anti-CCP legislation for what he called China week. “We wanted to combine them all into one week so that you had a real sharp focus on the fact that we need to be aggressive in confronting the threat that China poses,” Scalise said on Fox Business Network’s The Bottom Line.

The aim is to send legislation to the White House before the end of Biden’s term, possibly to have them signed before the November presidential election.

There are at least 25 bills that directly or indirectly target China. Four of the bills will be debated on the floor, and 21 others already have broad approval and are set to be passed without debate.

One key bill related to Taiwan’s Security is the Taiwan Deterrence Act, which would require the federal government to impose significant sanctions on Chinese officials and organizations if Beijing initiates hostilities against Taiwan. This bill, a new iteration of a previous proposal, is likely to pass the House without debate, per LTN. 

There is also a resolution likely to be up for a vote, which will condemn China’s repeated violations of maritime law and Beijing’s aggressive behavior towards Taiwan, the Philippines, Japan, and Malaysia.

According to Scalise, the legislation will make the next US administration take a harder line on China and its threat to national security. 

The bills being prepped for a vote include measures to heighten market barriers in the US for electric vehicles made in China. Another bill will prohibit Chinese citizens or entities from purchasing US farmland. 

There is also a bill that aims to counter China’s influence in the World Health Organization (WHO). If passed, it would require the White House to obtain Senate approval before adopting WHO directives regarding pandemic response or preparedness.   

Another measure called the Biosecure Act will increase regulations over research labs affiliated with or run by the federal government. It would essentially ban federal agencies and their research labs from using equipment manufactured in China or Chinese components. 

There is also a bill targeting China’s Confucius Institutes, which would ban US colleges and universities from receiving federal funding if the Chinese-funded institutes are on campus. A separate bill calls for the White House to establish a new task force under the Executive Branch for investigating and preventing Chinese espionage.