I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9668 

To establish in the Department of Homeland Security a working group 

relating to countering terrorist, cybersecurity, border and port security, 

and transportation security threats posed to the United States by the 

Chinese Communist Party, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024 

Mr. STRONG (for himself and Mr. SUOZZI) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to 

the Committees on Ways and Means, Financial Services, the Judiciary, 

and Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish in the Department of Homeland Security a 

working group relating to countering terrorist, cybersecurity, border and port security, and transportation security threats posed to the United States by the Chinese 

Communist Party, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strategic Homeland 

5 Intelligence and Enforcement Legislation to Defend 


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1 against the CCP Act’’ or the ‘‘SHIELD Against CCP 

2 Act’’. 

3 SEC. 2. WORKING GROUP TO COUNTER CERTAIN THREATS 

4 POSED TO THE UNITED STATES BY THE CHI5 NESE COMMUNIST PARTY. 

6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

8 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec9 retary of Homeland Security shall establish in the 

10 Department of Homeland Security a working group 

11 (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Working 

12 Group’’), which shall carry out the duties specified 

13 in subsection (b) relating to countering terrorist, cy14 bersecurity, border and port security, and transpor15 tation security threats posed to the United States by 

16 the Chinese Communist Party. 

17 (2) DIRECTOR.— 

18 (A) APPOINTMENT.—The head of the 

19 Working Group shall be a Director (in this sec20 tion referred to as the ‘‘Director’’), who shall be 

21 appointed by the Secretary of Homeland Secu22 rity. 

23 (B) REPORTING.—The Director shall re24 port to the Secretary of Homeland Security reVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:56 Oct 04, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9668.IH H9668

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1 garding all administrative, operational, and se2 curity matters of the Working Group. 

3 (3) STAFFING.—The Secretary of Homeland 

4 Security shall ensure the Working Group is provided 

5 with the following: 

6 (A) A sufficient number of employees to 

7 perform required duties. 

8 (B) Not fewer than one employee dedicated 

9 to ensuring compliance with privacy laws and 

10 regulations. 

11 (4) DETAILEES.—The Working Group may ac12 cept and employ detailees with expertise in coun13 tering terrorist, cybersecurity, border and port secu14 rity, and transportation security threats posed by 

15 the Chinese Communist Party to the United States, 

16 or in related fields, from any element of the intel17 ligence community or any other Federal agency the 

18 Director determines appropriate, with or without re19 imbursement, consistent with applicable laws and 

20 regulations regarding such employees. 

21 (b) DUTIES.—The Working Group shall carry out the 

22 following: 

23 (1) Examine, assess, and report upon efforts by 

24 the Department of Homeland Security to counter 

25 terrorist, cybersecurity, border and port security, 


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1 and transportation security threats posed to the 

2 United States by the Chinese Communist Party, in3 cluding efforts to counter the Chinese Communist 

4 Party’s— 

5 (A) nontraditional tactics and exploitation 

6 of the United States immigration system 

7 through— 

8 (i) identity theft; 

9 (ii) the immigrant and nonimmigrant 

10 visa processes; 

11 (iii) unlawful border crossings; 

12 (iv) human smuggling; and 

13 (v) human trafficking; 

14 (B) predatory economic and trade prac15 tices, including the trafficking of counterfeit 

16 and pirated goods, the use of forced labor, labor 

17 exploitation for financial gain, customs fraud, 

18 money laundering practices, theft of intellectual 

19 property and technology, and risks to the crit20 ical infrastructure supply chain; 

21 (C) malign influence operations and 

22 transnational repression targeting United 

23 States persons; 

24 (D) threats to critical infrastructure; 


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1 (E) direct or indirect support for 

2 transnational criminal organizations trafficking 

3 in fentanyl, illicit drug precursors, or other con4 trolled substances through— 

5 (i) the United States border; 

6 (ii) international mail shipments; or 

7 (iii) express consignment operations; 

8 (F) the movement of cross-border funds 

9 through traditional money laundering practices, 

10 third party facilitators, or emerging money 

11 laundering techniques, including 

12 cryptocurrency; and 

13 (G) exploitation of vulnerabilities in the 

14 United States export control regime, including 

15 the export in violation of law of controlled tech16 nologies from the United States. 

17 (2) Account for the resources of the Depart18 ment that are dedicated to programs aimed at coun19 tering terrorist, cybersecurity, border and port secu20 rity, and transportation security threats posed to the 

21 United States by the Chinese Communist Party, and 

22 any supporting information as to the efficacy of each 

23 such program. 

24 (3) Build upon existing or ongoing evaluations 

25 and avoid unnecessary duplication by reviewing the 


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1 findings, conclusions, and recommendations of other 

2 appropriate working groups, committees, commis3 sions, or entities established by the Department re4 lated to efforts to counter terrorist, cybersecurity, 

5 border and port security, and transportation security 

6 threats posed to the United States by the Chinese 

7 Communist Party. 

8 (4) Identify gaps in policies, processes, and ac9 tivities of the Department to respond to terrorist, 

10 cybersecurity, border and port security, and trans11 portation security threats posed to the United States 

12 by the Chinese Communist Party. 

13 (5) Facilitate cooperation and coordination 

14 among offices and components of the Department on 

15 a holistic response to countering terrorist, cybersecu16 rity, border and port security, and transportation se17 curity threats posed to the United States by the Chi18 nese Communist Party. 

19 (c) ADDITIONAL DUTY RELATING TO INFORMATION

20 SHARING.—The Working Group, in accordance with appli21 cable constitutional, privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties 

22 protections, shall review, in coordination with the Office 

23 of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Home24 land Security, information relating to terrorist, cybersecu25 rity, border and port security, and transportation security 


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1 threats posed to the United States by the Chinese Com2 munist Party that is gathered by Federal, State, local, 

3 Tribal, and territorial partners, and the National Network 

4 of Fusion Centers, and incorporate such information, as 

5 appropriate, into the Working Group’s own information 

6 relating to such threats. The Working Group, in coordina7 tion with the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, shall also 

8 ensure the dissemination to Federal, State, local, Tribal, 

9 and territorial partners, and the National Network of Fu10 sion Centers, of information related to such threats. 

11 (d) ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

13 after the date of the enactment of this section and 

14 annually thereafter for five years, the Secretary of 

15 Homeland Security, in coordination with the Under 

16 Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis of the De17 partment of Homeland Security, the Director of the 

18 Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Director of 

19 National Intelligence, shall submit to the Committee 

20 on Homeland Security of the House of Representa21 tives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 

22 Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report that as23 sesses terrorist, cybersecurity, border and port secu24 rity, and transportation security threats posed to the 


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1 United States by the Chinese Communist Party dur2 ing the immediately preceding 12 months. 

3 (2) CONTENTS.—Each assessment under para4 graph (1) shall also include the following: 

5 (A) A description of the activities and op6 erations of the Working Group undertaken pur7 suant to subsection (b). 

8 (B) Any other matters the Secretary of 

9 Homeland Security determines relevant. 

10 (3) FORM.—Each assessment under paragraph 

11 (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may 

12 include a classified annex. The Secretary of Home13 land Security shall post on a publicly available 

14 website of the Department of Homeland Security the 

15 unclassified portion of each assessment. 

16 (4) BRIEFING.—Not later than 30 days after 

17 the submission of each assessment under paragraph 

18 (1), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall pro19 vide to the Committee on Homeland Security of the 

20 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

21 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 

22 Senate a briefing on such assessment and the 

23 progress and challenges of the Working Group. 

24 (e) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REVIEW.—Not later 

25 than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 


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1 the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit 

2 to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 

3 Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security 

4 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, a report on the 

5 implementation of this section. 

6 (f) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.—Not later than 

7 one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

8 Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the 

9 Director and the Under Secretary for Science and Tech10 nology of the Department of Homeland Security, shall, to 

11 the extent practicable, carry out research and develop12 ment, including operational testing, of technologies and 

13 techniques for enhancing the Department’s security and 

14 situational awareness relating to countering terrorist, cy15 bersecurity, border and port security, and transportation 

16 security threats posed to the United States by the Chinese 

17 Communist Party, in accordance with applicable constitu18 tional, privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections. 

19 (g) SUNSET.—The Working Group shall terminate on 

20 the date that is seven years after the establishment of the 

21 Working Group under subsection (a)(1). 

22 (h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 

24 ‘‘critical infrastructure’’ has the meaning given such 


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1 term in section 1016(e) of Public Law 107–56 (42 

2 U.S.C. 5195c(e)). 

3 (2) FUSION CENTER.—The term ‘‘fusion cen4 ter’’ has the meaning given such term in subsection 

5 (k) of section 210A of the Homeland Security Act 

6 of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h). 

7 (3) INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.—The term 

8 ‘‘intelligence community’’ has the meaning given 

9 such tern in section 3(4) of the National Security 

10 Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)). 

11 (4) NATIONAL NETWORK OF FUSION CEN12 TERS.—The term ‘‘National Network of Fusion Cen13 ters’’ means a decentralized arrangement of fusion 

14 centers intended to enhance individual State and 

15 urban area fusion centers’ ability to leverage the ca16 pabilities and expertise of all such fusion centers for 

17 the purpose of enhancing analysis and homeland se18 curity information sharing nationally. 

19 (5) UNITED STATES PERSONS.—The term 

20 ‘‘United States person’’ has the meaning given such 

21 term in section 1637(d)(10) of the Carl Levin and 

22 Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon National Defense Au23 thorization Act for Fiscal year 2015 (50 U.S.C. 

24 1708(d)(10)). 

Æ 


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