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  "description": "Committee also advances bill to counter cybersecurity risks in oil and gas pipelines.",
  "path": "/senate-commerce-moves-to-boost-foreign-investment-in-high-tech-sectors/",
  "publishedAt": "2025-10-21T17:41:25.000Z",
  "site": "https://broadbandbreakfast.com",
  "tags": [
    "__Global Investment in American Jobs Act__",
    "__Foreign Robocall Elimination Act__",
    "__Pipeline Safety Act__",
    "__National STEM Week Act__",
    "_also approved_"
  ],
  "textContent": "WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2025 – A bill directing the Commerce Department to examine barriers to foreign investment in high-tech sectors advanced Tuesday from the Senate Commerce Committee.\n\nTitled the __Global Investment in American Jobs Act__, the measure drew five amendments from Sen. **Ed Markey** , D-Mass., who argued boosting foreign direct investment should account for broader political and economic risks created by Trump administration policies.\n\n“We cannot ignore the elephant in the room, the Trump administration's chaotic economic policies and its ongoing attack on the rule of law, which undermine foreign investor confidence in our country,” Markey said during the committee’s executive session.\n\nMarkey said he filed nearly two dozen amendments to ensure that the legislation takes a comprehensive view of the U.S. investment climate. “I won't be calling up all of those amendments, but it's important that we vote on some of them,” he said.\n\nOne of Markey’s amendments would have required Commerce’s report to examine how government actions that undermine the First Amendment and freedom of the press affect foreign investor confidence.\n\n“That risk has skyrocketed in the United States,” Markey said, pointing to “FCC Chairman **Brendan Carr** ’s mafia-boss threats against the media” and “Trump’s firing of inspectors general.”\n\nHowever, Senate Commerce Chairman**Ted Cruz** , R-Texas, shot back, calling many of Markey’s proposals “political show votes” unrelated to the bill’s goal of attracting investment from allied nations.\n\nOther amendments Markey offered for votes would have broadened the Commerce Department’s review to consider the impacts of political favoritism, Federal Reserve independence, what he called “erratic” tariff policies, and the wages paid by foreign-owned firms. All five amendments failed on 15–13 party-line votes.\n\n### _Measures to counter foreign robocalls, strengthen resiliency of oil and gas pipelines_\n\nThe committee also advanced the __Foreign Robocall Elimination Act__, sponsored by Sen. **Ted** **Budd** , R-N.C., which directs the Federal Communications Commission to establish an interagency task force to identify and block foreign-initiated robocalls.\n\nLawmakers also approved the __Pipeline Safety Act__, a bipartisan measure led by Cruz and **Maria Cantwell** , D-Wash., that reauthorizes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for five years, a branch of the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees the safe transport of energy and hazardous materials.\n\n“​​The bill directs PHMSA to make its cybersecurity appointments permanent to prevent attacks like the 2021 Colonial Pipeline hack,” Cantwell said. “It also requires operators to address aging plastic components known to fail during land movement caused by landslides and earthquakes.”\n\nIn May 2021, Colonial Pipeline Co., which operates a 5,500-mile system supplying nearly half of the East Coast’s fuel, was hit by a ransomware attack carried out by the criminal hacking group DarkSide, believed to operate from Russia.\n\nThe company shut down its pipeline network for several days to contain the breach, leading to gas shortages, price spikes, and emergency declarations across multiple states.\n\nDuring consideration of the bill, Sen. **Ben Ray Luján** , D-N.M., offered an amendment requiring PHMSA to study how extreme weather events, such as Winter Storm Uri in 2021 and Winter Storm Elliott in 2022, might affect pipeline integrity and public safety.\n\nAfter brief debate, Cruz agreed to adopt the amendment by voice vote, although he noted his staff said the amendment was duplicative. “This would not be the first time Congress has done something duplicative, and I’m confident it won’t be the last,” he said.\n\nThe committee also advanced the __National STEM Week Act__, sponsored by Sen. **Joni Ernst** , R-Iowa, which would designate one week each year to promote education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.\n\nMembers _also approved_ three Trump administration nominees for key Commerce and Transportation posts.",
  "title": "Senate Commerce Moves to Boost Foreign Investment in High-Tech Sectors",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-11T05:44:19.217Z"
}