Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2025
H.R. 1468, titled the Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2025, would create a dedicated CCP Initiative within the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. The Initiative is charged with countering Chinese state threats, stopping intelligence and economic espionage targeting U.S. intellectual property and universities, and developing an enforcement approach addressing “nontraditional collectors” such as researchers in labs, universities, and the defense industrial base. It also aims to implement and coordinate with existing tools under the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA/CFIUS) with the Treasury, identify Chinese companies involved in trade violations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and prioritize efforts against trade secret theft, hacking, and other economic espionage. The bill would require ongoing investigations into investments by Chinese entities on the BIS Entity List or the DoD’s Chinese Military Companies list, with findings reported to the relevant Secretaries. It would operate separately from other DOJ initiatives, requiring dedicated resources, and would be subject to a 6-year sunset. An annual report would summarize progress, resource use, interagency coordination, and monetary losses from espionage and theft.
Key Points
- 1Establishment and scope: Creates the CCP Initiative in the DOJ’s National Security Division to counter nation-state threats, curb CCP spying on U.S. IP and academia, and address technology transfers that undermine U.S. interests; includes cooperation with the Treasury on FIRRMA/CFIUS-related regulations.
- 2Enforcement focus on nontraditional collectors: Develops an enforcement strategy targeting researchers, labs, universities, and the defense industrial base to prevent improper transfers of technology.
- 3Proactive investment and corporate scrutiny: Mandates investigations into Chinese investments and entities on the BIS Entity List or the DoD’s Chinese Military Companies list, with reporting to the Secretaries of Commerce and Defense on findings, including subsidiaries and controlled entities.
- 4Priorities and civil enforcement: Prioritizes trade secret theft, hacking, economic espionage, protection of critical U.S. infrastructure from foreign investment/supply chain threats, and theft of IP from small U.S. businesses.
- 5Accountability and sunset: Requires an annual report to Congress on progress, resources, coordination, CCP espionage activity, and economic impact; the program is set to end six years after enactment, with severability to keep the rest of the bill intact if a provision is struck down.