Some top Republican lawmakers want President Trump to come down harder on hackers from the People's republic of China, saying his Administration has needs to do more to combat what amounts to a threat on American lives.
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In a letter to the President dated Monday (July 20), Greg Walden (Ore.), Michael McCaul (Texas) and Patrick McHenry (N.C.), the ranking members of the House Energy & Commerce. Foreign Affairs and Financial Services committees, respectively, thanked the President for what he has done so far, but said Treasury "has not sufficiently imposed sanctions [on PRC-linked hackers or those that benefit from such theft] for cyberattacks on Americans," activity that "puts the very citizens of our lives at risk."
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They suggested that was just the latest in decades of the U.S. "not taking principled stands or enforcing violations of commitments."
That activity includes trying to gain illicit access to data on "valuable" COVID-19 info related to public health, vaccines, treatments and testing.
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They said that during the COVID-19 crisis--"exacerbated by the CCP cover-up"--the PRC's cyber attacks have grown more aggressive.
While they concede that for many years the "muted" response to PRC aggression was in hopes that leniency would foster cooperation and drive the CCP toward our economic and political values, but that it has had the opposite effect of emboldening the CCP down a path that threatens the security of the U.S. and the world.
The trio of Republicans want a briefing from the Department of Treasure (and State) as well as whichever other agency the President deems relevant, so they can get a sense of the scope both of the attacks and the U.S. response.
