US tech concerned over bill targeting China

A consortium of trade groups and the US Chamber of Commerce expressed their opposition Thursday to a recently enacted spending bill that makes it more difficult for the US government to buy IT equipment manufactured in China, The Wall Street Journal reported. The bill in question requires four federal agencies – NASA, the Justice Department, the Commerce Department and National Science Foundation – looking to purchase IT equipment from China to receive approval from the Federal Bureau of Investigation after a cybersecurity risk assessment. The groups, which represent major US tech companies, said such restrictions would slow the federal acquisition process.