President Donald Trump’s decision to reverse course and allow U.S. companies to supply software and components to Chinese manufacturer Huawei has angered some Republicans who — a rare display of anger at the president — have gone public with their dismay.
According to the Washington Post, the president made the unilateral decision on Huawei after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit in Osaka after receiving assurances China would purchase more US farm products.
That decision set off several GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) who immediately tweeted a threat at the president: “If President Trump has in fact bargained away the recent restrictions on #Huawei, then we will have to get those restrictions put back in place through legislation. And it will pass with a large veto proof majority.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) also joined in, tweeting, “We need less Huawei, not more Huawei. They want their equipment and networks to be the future of spying. It’s time to stop them in their tracks.”
The Post reports that the Commerce Department set the restrictions back in May of this year, citing national security concerns that “the Chinese telecom might help Beijing spy on U.S. networks. The decision came the same day Trump issued an executive order banning Huawei from building the next-generation U.S. 5G wireless networks.”
According to retired Gen. Rob Spalding, who worked with the Trump administration on telecom issues prior to the Huawei ban, the reversal is a betrayal.
“Huawei is not a trade issue. It is an existential issue for democracy not just for the US, but everywhere,” he tweeted.
Appearing on Meet the Press on Sunday, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) also bashed the president’s move, saying, “I’m very concerned about Huawei, I think they are a threat to our national security.”
You can see an assortment of conservative critics hammering the president’s decision by using Twitter below:
If President Trump has in fact bargained away the recent restrictions on #Huawei, then we will have to get those restrictions put back in place through legislation.
And it will pass with a large veto proof majority.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 29, 2019
If President Trump has agreed to reverse recent sanctions against #Huawei he has made a catastrophic mistake.
It will destroy the credibility of his administrations warnings about the threat posed by the company,no one will ever again take them seriously. https://t.co/jEhHcblsVG
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 29, 2019
China is not our friend; they are our adversary. I applaud @realDonaldTrump for his efforts to work out a fair deal for America.
But Huawei is non-negotiable. Huawei is a national security threat to the U.S. and our allies. (1/3)
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) June 30, 2019
We need less Huawei, not more Huawei. They want their equipment and networks to be the future of spying. It’s time to stop them in their tracks. https://t.co/92E6VfFoEI
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) June 30, 2019
Extremely troubling news from the #G20Summit. Why is @POTUS surrendering one of the United States’ key pieces of leverage before beginning new trade negotiations with China?
Why not keep #Huawei on our blacklist until China demonstrates a change in behavior? https://t.co/Y7nTraJ9qw
— Senator Jim Banks (@SenatorBanks) June 29, 2019
As #Trump did with ZTE, it appears he’s willing to accept a fistful of dollars while trading away our security. But we need to see the full scope of his handout to #Huawei. https://t.co/2z8vgsbzNG
— Michael Wessel (@MWesselDC) June 30, 2019
