U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has been appearing on cable television shows with great frequency as of late. He s promoting his book, The Tyranny of Big Tech, and is using big tech platforms like Twitter and Facebook to make sure you know the book is available on Amazon.com.
Hawley is involved in a smaller tech issue with the potential of providing a boost to the Missouri economy, but there are several moving parts that need to be assembled in just the proper way for Hawley s home state to reap big benefits.
The Protecting Critical Boards and Electronics Through Transparency and Enduring Reinvestment (PCBETTER) Act was introduced in April 2021, to very limited hoopla and ballyhoo. This bill with a cleverly reverse-engineered name is crafted to keep Chinese printed circuit boards, or PCBs, out of computer systems and electronics utilized by the American military.
Hawley Introduces Bill to Reduce Pentagon’s Reliance on Technology From China and Other ‘Adversary Nations’
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has introduced a bill aiming to reduce Chinese control over technology used by the U.S. armed forces.
Called the Protecting Critical Boards and Electronics Through Transparency and Enduring Reinvestment (PCBETTER) Act (pdf), the measure intends “to prevent Beijing from inserting and exploiting vulnerabilities in printed circuit boards (PCBs) that are made in China and used throughout the American military,” Hawley’s office said in an April 28 statement.
Hawley’s office said that “a disproportionate amount” of printed circuit boards used in the Pentagon’s electronic systems come from China, where they are “vulnerable to sabotage” by the Chinese regime.
Hawley Introduces Bill to Reduce American Dependence on Chinese Technology Sen. Josh Hawley / Getty Images Santi Ruiz • April 28, 2021 4:45 pm
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Sen. Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) introduced a bill Wednesday aimed at reducing Chinese control over technology used by the Department of Defense and its contractors.
The bill would require defense contractors to disclose where they obtained printed circuit boards, which are an essential component of most complex technology. A disproportionate amount of the printed circuit boards used in the Department of Defense s electronic systems come from China, where they are vulnerable to sabotage by the Chinese government, Hawley s office said.