WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget asking for detailed information on exactly how much funding the United States government provides annually to China and Chinese-affiliated enterprises.

Read the full letter HERE or below.

July 1, 2019

Russ Vought

Acting Director
The Office of Management and Budget

725 17th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20503

Dear Mr. Vought:

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to accountability, transparency and responsible spending of U.S. tax dollars. As a United States Senator, I will always try to find ways to reduce waste and fraud in government spending to give American families the best return on their investment. Your organization serves as an excellent partner in that mission.

We should all be greatly concerned about what is happening in China. The Chinese government sees the United States as its global adversary and is taking the steps necessary to “win” the great power conflict of the 21^st Century. They have been stealing our technology and our intellectual property, and are building up their military to compete with us. China continues to prop up Nicolás Maduro’s murderous regime in Venezuela, along with Cuba, Russia and Iran.

I applaud President Trump’s commitment to hold China accountable. China is clearly our enemy, and I was horrified to recently learn that the federal government spends more than $32.5 million per year in foreign aid in China, a country wealthy enough not to need support from U.S. taxpayers. One example from a 2016 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report shows American taxpayers spent nearly $100 million on energy programs in China. Not only is our country supporting programs that China should be funding themselves, this same report showed the programs were lacking the proper performance monitoring. We are spending U.S. taxpayer dollars without even measuring the ROI for U.S. taxpayers. That is unacceptable, and this is just one example of irresponsible spending. I fear the total number our country spends to prop up China, a developed nation, will be staggering.

As I began looking into this situation, I was hopeful that some of this funding is used in the interest of the United States, but what I am finding so far is that these tax dollars are being spent to prop up a developed country that is in turn threatening the safety and security of our nation.

            Because the numbers I have seen so far are not comprehensive, I am requesting your assistance to provide detailed information, in the next 30 days, on exactly how much funding the United States government provides annually to China and to Chinese-affiliated enterprises, broken down by agency and purpose.

There is no reason American taxpayers should be supporting the Chinese government with tens of millions of dollars every year. This is even more unacceptable when you consider all the priorities we need to take care of right here at home. 

Thank you for your cooperation and for your response. I look forward to working with you as we fight to finally take a stand against China.

Sincerely,

Rick Scott
United States Senator

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