SHIELD Against CCP Act
Key claim: The SHIELD Against CCP Act would require DHS to establish a seven-year working group to assess and counter CCP threats across immigration, economic and trade practices, illicit finance and drug trafficking, cybersecurity, border/port, and transportation security, and to conduct related security R&D.
Abstract
(HR708 · 119th Congress) Strategic Homeland Intelligence and Enforcement Legislation to Defend Against the CCP Act or the SHIELD Against CCP Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to form a working group tasked with duties related to countering terrorist, cybersecurity, border and port security, and transportation security threats posed to the United States by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The working group must assess and annually report on current DHS efforts to counter the CCP’s (1) use of the U.S. immigration system, (2) economic and trade practices, and (3) support for illicit financial activity and trafficking controlled substances. The working group must terminate seven years after its establishment. DHS must additionally carry out research and development on technologies and techniques for enhancing its security and situational awareness to these threats. The Government Accountability Office must report on the implementation of this bill. Latest action (2025-03-11): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Why this matters
The SHIELD Act would not itself change tariffs, licenses, or customs rules, but it would stand up a durable DHS-led lens on how CCP-linked trade and finance practices intersect with border, port, and supply-chain security — the kind of interagency reporting apparatus that typically feeds later export-control, CFIUS, and customs enforcement actions. For importers and exporters with China exposure, its main near-term effect is heightened federal information-gathering and GAO scrutiny rather than immediate cost or compliance changes.