News & Events
McMorris Rodgers Touts American Tech Innovation & Competitiveness with China WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) appeared before The Ripon Society on September 11th to discuss her work on the Energy & Commerce Committee, the panel’s priorities to boost American development in emerging technology, and her thoughts on the upcoming election. But first, McMorris Rodgers – pictured above speaking at an event earlier this year – took a moment to address the wildfires raging in her home state and throughout the Western United States. “The fires in Eastern Washington and all across the West are heavy on my heart,” the Washington lawmaker stated. “Just yesterday I was visiting towns just thirty miles South of
Spokane – Malden and Pine City – where a fire came through on Labor Day and just destroyed these towns. Malden is a small town and the City Hall is gone. The Fire Department, the Post Office, and the Grange Hall are all gone as well. Eighty-five homes out of one hundred twenty in this small town are gone. Walking through that town is just devastating, yet there was also this sense of the community coming together. “There is a bright dawn ahead. Folks are already talking about how we’re going to clean this up, how we’re going to rebuild, and how we’re going to meet the immediate needs of the families here – it just shows me the resiliency of the American spirit.” McMorris Rodgers, a 15-year
veteran of Capitol Hill and the top Republican of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, then outlined the latest work being done by her and her Energy & Commerce colleagues. “In May, we introduced a package of bills around emerging technology. They were all Republican-led bills at the time. Yet, on Wednesday, we were able to pass nine of those bills out of the Democrat-controlled committee. And it’s part of a larger global competitive package and highlights the importance of American leadership around emerging tech. “This is artificial intelligence, quantum computing, blockchain, and other emerging technologies that we see China using to oppress minorities
McMorris Rodgers is pictured here addressing a meeting of The Ripon Society in February of this year.
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RIPON FORUM October 2020
