Senate Appropriations Committee Passes Ban on ZTE Tech Funding

Even as the Commerce Department was confirming a deal to remove an export ban affecting ZTE, Congress was moving to prevent government money to be used to buy ZTE equipment. According to Sen Marco Rubio (R-FL), who proposed the restriction, the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the FY19 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill, which includes his provision to prevent those government funds to be used to buy telecom equipment from ZTE and fellow Chinese telecom Huawei "other high risk information systems." Government intelligence officials are virtually unanimous in their view that both ZTE and Huawei tech poses a national security risk, a view shared by Sen Rubio.