From getting Chinese components out of America’s critical infrastructure and stopping state tax dollars from funding CCP companies, governors and their cabinets play important roles protecting the American heartland from the CCP threat. In this episode, Kenny Zoeller, Director of the Policy Research Office for Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, discusses how state executives can use the tools at their disposal to identify vulnerabilities, build coalitions, and work with the federal government to enact proactive policies against the CCP’s malign influence schemes.

(2:36) The Threats China Poses to the States and the Role States Play in National Security

(5:57) Building Strategies for Policy Change

(9:50) Committee on Pacific Conflict and Coalition-Building

(13:44) Confronting Pushback to Steps Forward

(17:33) Working with the Federal Government

(20:29) Working with Other States

(22:59) Why Should Stakeholders in the States Take the China Threat Seriously?

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EjaqvqmiufU

For years, American public pension funds have been lining the coffers of the Chinese Communist Party, posing both a financial risk and a threat to our national security. Because every Chinese company is ultimately beholden to the CCP, the money invested in these entities can be frozen and stolen whenever the CCP wants- a terrible investment for Americans. Dr. OJ Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation, joins The Vandenberg Coalition to outline how states can insulate themselves from the risk of placing retirement funds in the hands of the CCP.

(2:00) Why do states invest in China?

(5:59) Federalism and divestment

(9:31) Balancing national security and business interests

(13:25) How to raise awareness on the state-level

(16:53) SFOF’s letter to the SEC

(20:17) What does success look like in divesting from China?

(21:55) What can states and constituents do?

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/C0TTm4UyAUQ

China has slowly been working its way into all sectors of American life. The United Front has identified critical infrastructure and supply chains as surefire avenues to disrupting America’s stability. Its industrial footprint spans the entirety of the U.S. and creeps into every home via pharmaceuticals, energy, telecommunications, and more. On this episode, Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board members David Feith and Ambassador Kelley Currie explore the breadth of this component of the United Front and identify areas of success or potential space for new policymaking on the subnational level to address it.

(3:13) Defining China’s Industrial Foothold

(9:37) Solar Inverters and Other Critical Infrastructure Risks

(17:33) How States Succeed: The Nebraska Model

(23:10) China’s Farmland Acquisition

(30:37) Pharmaceuticals and What States Should Do on Supply Chains and Critical Infrastructure

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zJY98MII2VY