WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott announced the introduction of the Preventing Remote Operations by Threatening Entities on Critical Technology for the Grid (PROTECT the Grid) Act. This bill targets an alarming threat posed by high-wattage smart devices produced or controlled by foreign adversaries like Communist China. These seemingly benign internet-connected appliances, such as smart ovens, EV chargers, and laundry appliances, can come with embedded software controlled by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) affiliated companies – giving Communist China a potential avenue to infiltrate and disrupt America’s electric grid. Senator Scott’s PROTECT the Grid Act directs the Department of Commerce to investigate and assess just how far the CCP’s influence has penetrated our infrastructure through these devices as Communist China continues to push to dominate both the appliance market and the Internet-of-Things landscape. The Coalition for a Prosperous America has endorsed this legislation.

The legislation also codifies Trump Executive Order 13873, which empowers the Secretary of Commerce to restrict or ban the use of technology or services from foreign companies if they are considered a threat to national security.

Senator Rick Scott said, “We cannot forget the existential threat that the Chinese Communist Party poses to our national security and American citizens. The CCP uses every tool at its disposal to infiltrate our markets, our government, and our families’ everyday lives through smart products designed with a built-in backdoor for China to spy on them and access our power grids. The risk this access poses cannot be understated – it means Communist China could flip a digital switch and plunge parts of America into chaos. My Protect the Grid Act calls for an investigation into China’s influence through these items and how we can work to off their access, secure our grid, and stop a foreign dictatorship from holding American citizens hostage through their own appliances.”

Jon Toomey, president of the Coalition for a Prosperous America said, “Foreign adversaries have long infiltrated American homes through connected devices and smart appliances. The Department of Commerce must act to block entities that threaten our national security and economic interests. We thank Senator Scott for introducing legislation to make permanent the protections in Executive Order 13873, signed by President Trump in 2019. This bill is a critical step toward ensuring Americans know who controls the technology in their homes—and who may be accessing their data.”

The Protect the Grid Act is the latest of Senator Scott’s bills to hold Communist China accountable for working to destroy America, including his most recent bill to crack down on adversarial intelligence gathering operations from regimes like the CCP. Additionally, his Drones for America Act, No Adversarial AI Act, Prying into Chinese Tyrants’ Unreported Riches, Earnings, and Secrets (PICTURES) Act, Military Installation Retail Security Act, No Safe Harbor for the Enemy Act, and legislative package to curb Communist China’s exploitation of U.S. markets, along with a recent letter to David Perdue, the U.S. Ambassador to China detailing several of his top priorities.

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