Select Committee Democrats Send Letter to ODNI and CIA Directors Requesting Briefing on Impact of Vacant Speakership on National Security

October 23, 2023
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Democratic members of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sent a letter to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) requesting a classified briefing on how the CCP and other foreign adversaries are seeking to capitalize on the vacant Speaker position in the U.S. House of Representatives and the constant threat of a government shutdown to discredit democracy globally and promote authoritarian governance models abroad.

The letter reads, in part, “The IC has repeatedly emphasized that the People’s Republic of China (‘PRC’) seeks to extend its influence abroad while undermining democracy and U.S. interests. The IC’s 2023 Annual Threat Assessment  highlighted that ‘efforts by Russia, China, and other countries to promote authoritarianism … is helping fuel a larger competition between democratic and authoritarian forms of government.’ The IC also noted that ‘China is attempting to sow doubts about U.S. leadership, undermine democracy, and extend Beijing’s influence.’ We must now be clear-eyed that current U.S. political dysfunction is providing the CCP with fodder to achieve its objectives, and we must assess the extent to which it is succeeding.

Select Committee Democrats are requesting a briefing on the following information:

  1. What global messaging from the PRC and foreign adversaries highlighting the vacant Speaker seat and potential government shutdown —including through social media, newspapers, radio, TV, and official government interactions—has the IC identified?
  2. Within this messaging, what efforts has the IC identified that promote a China-led alternative or model apart from a U.S. or Western-led approach to development, government, and security forums and frameworks?
  3. What are the demographics of the targeted audiences and countries—including Gross Domestic Product per capita, Productive Capacities Index (PCI) score, and Democracy score—for this messaging?
  4. How does the IC assess the impact and effectiveness of this messaging on the targeted audiences?
  5. Does the IC have evidence that the CCP has directed, coordinated, or amplified this messaging?
  6. Does the IC assess that the current state of Congress presents an opportunity for the CCP and state and non-state adversaries to sow disinformation both in the United States and abroad?
  7. How does the IC assess PRC and foreign adversary messaging regarding the current state of Congress compares to previous messaging tactics these actors have employed?
  8. How does the IC assess the impact of the current state of Congress on the thinking of top decision-makers of the CCP and other foreign adversaries regarding the United States’ ability to respond to global security crises?
  9. How does the IC assess these top decisionmakers’ thinking about strategic competition with the U.S., such as whether the U.S. will have the resolve to support its allies and partners in the event of a crisis, including regarding Taiwan?
  10. Does the IC have evidence that the CCP is exacerbating or will exacerbate dysfunction in the U.S. Congress to diminish U.S. resolve to support its security partners?

The full letter to the Directors of DNI and CIA is available here. 

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