Top GOP chairmen sound alarm on foreign threats report: Nation at a ‘tipping point’

A group of Republican House committee chairmen are sounding the alarm over the U.S. intelligence community’s annual threat assessment released earlier this week that warned of ‘complex’ threats from China, Russia, North Korea and others.

In a joint statement issued Friday, House Permanent Select Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., argued the nation was at a ‘tipping point’ when dealing with outside threats to national security.

‘As a nation, we are facing a myriad of threats like never before, from foreign malign actors seeking to undermine our way of life to increasingly aggressive adversaries attempting to displace the United States as a leading power on the world stage,’ the chairmen wrote. 

‘This ODNI threat assessment only reinforces the fact that China, Russia, Iran, al-Qaeda, ISIS, and North Korea all present grave threats to our national security that demand sustained attention from Congress,’ they wrote.

The statement went on to describe the numerous national security threats facing the U.S., including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ‘growing confidence’ of al Qaeda following the fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban, the resurgence of ISIS, the espionage and military buildup by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the frequent missile tests conducted by North Korea.

It also noted the ‘devastating opioid crisis’ being fueled by the fentanyl production and trafficking by ‘nefarious actors.’ 

‘It is evident from this threat assessment that the tactics the CCP uses to accomplish its goals have not worked entirely in its favor, leaving our nation at a tipping point. The CCP must not be underestimated, but the U.S. can still triumph in a peer-to-peer competition with the CCP if our government acts in a swift and unified manner,’ they wrote.

‘Ultimately, this threat assessment only reinforces the concerns we have about the U.S. threat posture under the Biden administration. Our committees will continue working together to combat these threats and strengthen our national security, while demanding the Biden administration hold our adversaries accountable in response to acts of aggression,’ they added.