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Marco Rubio’s plan to wean America off its China addiction
James Hohmann
March 9, 2023
Washington Post

Among congressional Republicans, Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) was ahead of the curve in rejecting “market fundamentalism,” criticizing CEOs for prioritizing short-term profits over long-term costs, lamenting corporate consolidation and highlighting the scant concern that too many multinationals show for America’s national interests….

These positions have become fashionable among rank-and-file Republicans, though they’re still contested at the elite level. “Much of our vocabulary and instincts on the right, and a lot of our think tank infrastructure, is still based on the old consensus that the market, left on its own, is always going to give us the best outcome,” Rubio said. “More Republicans are willing to challenge that, but we still have work to do, and we’ve got to be careful too because the overcompensation for that is socialism.”

As the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Rubio says he sees a national security imperative to diversify the economy beyond Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Hollywood. In the event of conflict, America’s ability to feed, power and cure its citizenry will matter more than its ability to produce good movies, food delivery apps and novel financial instruments. “The pandemic was like a preseason game,” Rubio said….

Rubio plans a series of Senate floor speeches in the next few weeks about how America can wean itself off China. “This is about a lot more than just banning this and stopping that,” he said. “It’s not just about ‘taking on’ China. It’s about changing the way we think. It’s not 1999 anymore”….

“Even now, people who agree that we have to do something about this will tell you, ‘We can’t because it will hurt exports or they’ll put a tariff on some industry,’” said Rubio. “None of this is going to matter in five or six years.”

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