Key Vote Alert: Vote “NO” on H.R. 4521, the America COMPETES Act of 2022

Feb 2, 2022 by AFP

On behalf of Americans for Prosperity activists across the country, I write to you to oppose H.R. 4521, the America COMPETES Act of 2022.

This ill-advised legislation is fiscally irresponsible. It would mean $122 billion in new spending in 2022, risking doing more harm to our economic recovery, which is riddled with inflation levels not seen in decades.

This legislation is supposed to improve American competitiveness in a global economy, but three provisions in the bill undermine America’s global competitiveness.

The SHOP SAFE ACT and the INFORM Act both seek to curb the sale of counterfeit goods. However, they run the risk of reducing consumer choice by significantly undermining the ability of third-party sellers and small businesses to sell in online marketplaces. This would mean fewer choices, higher prices, and Americans ultimately paying more for less.

This legislation also threatens to stunt the growth of the crypto industry, rather than support it. As written, the bill would broadly expand the Patriot Act authorities of the Treasury Secretary to block crypto and other transactions without any public input and due process requirements.

Rather than pursuing policies that crack down on crypto and will stymie the industry and push it offshore, Congress should be identifying policies that support the growth of this blossoming industry and bring quality jobs and companies to the United States over its international counterparts.

Furthermore, any private company receiving loans or other financial assistance through this legislation must take a “neutrality” stance on unionization, meaning employers cannot communicate with employees about union issues at all, while unions are granted heightened organizing access to workplaces.

We appreciate Congress’ desire to ensure that America is competitive on the global stage. While we strongly believe in American global leadership in innovation and competition, this partisan legislation fails to achieve that goal. Contrary to its intent, this bill does not make America more competitive with China globally.

For these reasons I urge you to vote NO on H.R. 4521, the America Competes Act of 2022. This vote will be recorded in our legislative scorecard.

Visit our scorecard online at: AFPscorecard.org.

Sincerely,

Brent Gardner

Chief Government Affairs Officer

Americans for Prosperity