Today, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the Secure Our Ports Act of 2025, H.R. 252. This bipartisan legislation was introduced by Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41) earlier this year. The bill aims to enhance national security by preventing certain foreign entities, including state-owned enterprises from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, from engaging in contracts related to the ownership, leasing, or operation of U.S. port facilities that require security plans.
Rep. Calvert expressed his gratitude to his colleagues for their support of the bill: “I want to thank my House colleagues for passing the Secure Our Ports Act and taking an important step in protecting our critically important port facilities.” He emphasized the importance of America’s ports as gateways for trade and commerce and warned against jeopardizing economic and national security by allowing adversarial nations like China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran to control port infrastructure.
The legislation specifically prohibits any entity owned by these four countries from owning, leasing, or operating U.S. port facilities. Reports indicate that “China owns or operates ports and terminals at nearly 100 locations in over 50 countries.” Additionally, a report issued last year by the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party highlighted concerns about Chinese-owned enterprises’ influence over critical port infrastructure. Recently, the Defense Department identified several Chinese shipping firms as military-related companies.
