Pressley Opposes Committee on China, Fearing ‘Anti-Asian Hate’

Radical Rep. Ayanna Pressley told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins on Thursday she was one of the few House members who voted against a select committee to examine U.S. competition with China for fear it would embolden racists.

The new committee was proposed “to examine U.S. strategic competition with China.” Remarking on the need for the committee, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy stated Tuesday, “We spent decades passing policies that welcomed China into the global system. In return, China has exported oppression, aggression and anti-Americanism. Today, the power of its military and economy are growing at the expense of freedom and democracy worldwide.”

Pressley was one of only 65 members of the House of Representatives who voted against the committee. She claimed she voted against it in order to push back against “anti-Asian rhetoric and hate” it might inspire.

“I voted no because, again, it’s another sham effort here, it’s really clear that this is just a committee that would further embolden anti-Asian rhetoric and hate and put lives at risk,” Pressley said. She added that the U.S. government has “enough infrastructure in governance to tackle those issues and we don’t need the select committee. And that is why I voted no, because I am afraid that it will embolden anti-Asian rhetoric and hate.”