White House Fights to Strip Tough-On-China Provisions From Annual Defense Spending Bill

The Biden administration is trying to quash provisions in an annual defense spending bill that would stop China from infiltrating American universities and supplying Mexican cartels with lethal fentanyl. The White House on Monday announced its opposition to a range of national security provisions included in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which Congress is currently debating. One provision would force the Pentagon to disclose information about foreign nationals working on military-funded research programs at American universities, where Chinese spies are known to steal proprietary research. Another would order the secretary of defense to determine whether Chinese government officials assisted or were aware of the transportation of fentanyl precursors to Mexican drug cartels.