Today in Washington, D.C., Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI), together with Representatives Comer, Foxx, Stefanik, Dunn, Bilirakis, and Moran, introduced the District of Columbia Sister City Integrity Act. The bill aims to protect America’s capital from foreign influence by preventing the D.C. government from establishing or maintaining Sister City relationships with jurisdictions in foreign adversary countries.
“In Washington D.C., our citizens enjoy freedom of speech, petition, and assembly. In Beijing, under the CCP’s rule, the Chinese people have no such rights,” Chairman Moolenaar stated. “Among all countries with which Washington, D.C. has sister city partnerships, China is uniquely marked by worsening human rights conditions, making this relationship particularly troubling.”
The introduction of this bill follows a letter from Chairman Moolenaar to Washington D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser urging her to end the city’s sister city relationship with Beijing. This move is intended to reject CCP propaganda and show support for the Chinese people.
According to the bill’s provisions, D.C. would be required to terminate existing Sister City relationships with any jurisdiction in a “foreign adversary country” as defined by U.S. law (10 U.S.C. § 4872). The city would have 180 days from enactment to dissolve these relationships and would not be allowed to use federal funds for international outreach unless fully compliant.
Washington D.C., as America’s seat of government and a center for diplomatic activity, holds significant strategic importance. This bill emphasizes protecting that status from influence operations by adversarial states.
Read the full bill text here.
