No Safe Harbor for the Enemy Act

#1864 | S Congress #119

Subjects:

Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. (5/22/2025)

Bill Text Source: Congress.gov

Summary and Impacts
Original Text

Bill Summary

The "No Safe Harbor for the Enemy Act" amends the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 to enhance the reporting requirements for Chinese military companies operating within the United States. Specifically, it modifies Section 1260H by establishing that the Secretary of Defense's decisions regarding which entities should be added to the publicly reported list of such companies are final and cannot be challenged or reviewed by any other government official or court. This aims to streamline the process and assert authority over the identification of potentially harmful foreign entities, thereby strengthening national security measures.

Possible Impacts

The "No Safe Harbor for the Enemy Act" could affect people in several significant ways:

1. **Increased Scrutiny of Businesses**: This legislation mandates more stringent public reporting of Chinese military companies operating in the United States. As a result, businesses that have ties to or are evaluated as having relationships with these companies may face increased scrutiny from regulators, investors, and the public. This could lead to reputational damage or loss of business opportunities for those companies.

2. **Legal Implications for Business Operations**: The provision that decisions by the Secretary of Defense regarding the inclusion of entities on the specified list are final and conclusive means that companies will have limited recourse to challenge such decisions. This could create an environment of uncertainty for businesses operating in or with associations to Chinese military companies, affecting their legal strategies and operational decisions.

3. **Impact on Employment and Workforce Dynamics**: If businesses that are identified as having connections to Chinese military entities are compelled to sever ties or face operational restrictions, this could lead to job losses or shifts in employment. Employees of affected companies might find themselves facing layoffs or the need to transition to new roles as businesses adapt to the changing regulatory landscape.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1864 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1864

To amend the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization 
  Act for Fiscal Year 2021 to modify the provision relating to public 
    reporting of Chinese military companies, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 22, 2025

  Mr. Scott of Florida introduced the following bill; which was read 
         twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization 
  Act for Fiscal Year 2021 to modify the provision relating to public 
    reporting of Chinese military companies, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``No Safe Harbor for the Enemy Act''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATION RELATING TO PUBLIC REPORTING OF CHINESE MILITARY 
              COMPANIES OPERATING IN THE UNITED STATES.

    Section 1260H of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (10 U.S.C. 113 note; Public Law 
116-283) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as subsections 
        (g) and (h), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new 
        subsection (f):
    ``(f) Finality of Decisions.--The decision of the Secretary of 
Defense as to any question regarding the addition of an entity to the 
list required by subsection (b)(1) shall be final and conclusive and 
may not be reviewed by any other official or by any court, whether by 
an action in the nature of mandamus or otherwise.''.
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