The Senate GOP’s spending chief, Richard Shelby of Alabama, said he agreed to add the language into several bills because the Senate was interested in taking “multiple approaches” to restricting the United States’ ties to ZTE. | Zach Gibson/Getty Images Senate GOP fires another warning shot at Trump over Chinese telecom giant

The Senate has a message for President Donald Trump on the embattled Chinese tech giant ZTE: We’re watching.

Senate Republicans have repeatedly inserted language in must-pass spending bills that would limit U.S. ties to the Chinese company by banning federal agencies from buying its products.


The Senate’s provision sets up a clash with the Trump administration because, unlike harsher rebukes of ZTE that have been tucked into legislation this year, this one could make it to Trump’s desk.

The Senate GOP’s spending chief, Richard Shelby of Alabama, said he agreed to add the language into several bills because the Senate was interested in taking “multiple approaches” to restricting the United States’ ties to ZTE.

“You never know what bills are going to become law,” Shelby said Monday. “You don’t ever know what bills are actually going to go to conference and come out of conference.”

The Senate approved the first of those bills Monday night, as part of a three-bill package that Republican leaders hope will make it to Trump’s desk before September.

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Democrats endorse the language, but argue that the narrow provision leaves room for the administration to keep working to revive a company that has been repeatedly accused of helping the Chinese government spy on Americans.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the minority leader, said he prefers the language wrapped into the Senate’s massive defense policy bill last week, which is far more restrictive.

That provision in the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, would uphold U.S. sanctions against the Chinese company.

“Democrats do not see this as a replacement for the NDAA language,” Schumer’s spokesman Matt House said Monday. “That was sanctioning ZTE. This is just ensuring that we don’t procure from ZTE.”

The House, too, has inserted sanctions provisions into a funding bill this year. That bill is awaiting a vote on the floor as early as this summer. The House’s defense policy bill also included the same harsh provision on sanctions.

Lawmakers from both parties on Capitol Hill have tried to block Trump’s actions on ZTE since the president announced on Twitter in May that he was attempting to revive the controversial phonemaker. Several members have cited security warnings from the administration itself.

The Senate’s latest push has been led by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who sits on the powerful appropriations panel, according to multiple Senate aides.

Rubio himself worked with Shelby and his Democratic counterparts to include the language in four funding bills, which fund departments including the Commerce Department. All have been approved overwhelmingly by both parties in committee.

The Senate’s newly passed funding bill — which includes largely uncontroversial spending for military and veterans programs — marks the second time in one week that the Senate has rebuked Trump for his dealings with ZTE. The Senate also targets a Chinese mega-firm, Huawei, which faces similar espionage accusations.

But unlike last week’s defense policy bill, it’s unclear how the new funding restrictions for federal agencies would significantly hamper ZTE’s operations in the U.S., which Trump has sought to revitalize.

Trump himself appeared to support an attempt by Congress to bar ZTE from doing business with the federal government, as long as the firm could continue to operate in the U.S. commercial market.

“Obviously government procurement is much more sensitive when it comes to national security," the Senate majority whip, John Cornyn of Texas, said after the meeting.

By that point last week, Rubio’s language had already been included in multiple committee-approved funding bills. The Florida Republican was not included in the White House meeting.

