Sponsors (3)
Introduced February 27, 2025 by Theodore Paul Budd · Last progress February 27, 2025
The bill increases U.S. awareness and ability to identify and respond to strategic-port risks—especially related to PRC influence—but does so at taxpayer expense, with potential economic impacts on local ports and shipping and risks that unclassified disclosures or concentrated agency authority could be misused or politicized.
State and local governments, federal planners, and military personnel will receive an up-to-date, unclassified map and inventory of ports critical to U.S. security and trade, improving oversight and threat awareness.
Congress, federal agencies, and potential investors will gain identification of PRC efforts and concrete policy/funding options (public and private) to secure ports and offer alternatives to PRC investment, enabling targeted responses.
State and local planners and Congress will benefit from unclassified reporting (with an optional classified annex), increasing transparency while allowing protection of sensitive details.
Military personnel, state governments, and taxpayers face increased national-security risk because public unclassified maps or named vulnerabilities could disclose U.S. priorities or weaknesses that adversaries might exploit.
Taxpayers will likely bear administrative and programmatic costs for producing the map/study and for implementing recommendations (grants, loan guarantees, tax incentives or other funding to compete with PRC investment).
Local governments, port operators, transportation workers, shippers, and consumers could face higher costs and reduced investment returns because federal restrictions, steering of foreign investment, or follow-on measures may limit investment options or raise operational/shipping costs; interagency actions may also create coordination burdens or disputes for local port authorities.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires State (with Defense) to map strategic global ports, study PRC efforts to control them, and report findings and risk assessments to Congress within one year.
Requires the Secretary of State, working with the Secretary of Defense, to produce an unclassified global map and an unclassified report (with optional classified annexes) identifying ports and waterways that are strategic to U.S. military, diplomatic, economic, or resource interests and documenting efforts by the People’s Republic of China or PRC-linked entities to build, buy, or control those ports. Also directs a detailed one-year study of PRC activities and supporting actors in maritime logistics, risks to U.S. and allied security and economic interests, vulnerabilities and costs, potential U.S. strategies and authorities, funding sources used by PRC actors, and threats to U.S. personnel and facilities. Sets coordination requirements across Defense, State, and other relevant U.S. offices; allows hiring a federally funded research and development center to conduct the study; and defines which congressional committees and U.S. government offices are “appropriate” for receiving the mapping and report. The law is a reporting and assessment mandate rather than an appropriation or new regulatory program, with a required report due within one year of enactment.