Tech

White House acting budget chief seeks to delay Huawei restrictions: WSJ

Key Points
  • Russell Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, made the request in a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress, according to the Journal.
  • Vought asked for a delay in the implementation of the National Defense Authorization Act, signed by President Trump last year and which contains provisions that target Huawei, according to the Journal
  • The letter, which the Journal obtained, says the provisions in the act would result in a "dramatic reduction" of the number companies able to supply the government. 
A Huawei logo is displayed at a retail store in Beijing, China on May 27, 2019.
Fred Dufour | AFP | Getty Images

The White House acting budget chief wants to delay the implementation of restrictions imposed by the U.S. on China's Huawei, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

Russell Vought, acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, made the request in a letter to Vice President Mike Pence and members of Congress, according to the Journal.

President Donald Trump declared a national emergency last month over threats to U.S. technology, and Huawei was added to a blacklist by the Commerce Department, which makes it difficult for the Chinese tech giant to do business with American companies.

Vought asked for a delay in the implementation of the National Defense Authorization Act, signed by President Trump last year and which contains provisions that target Huawei, according to the Journal.

The letter, which the Journal obtained, says the provisions in the act would result in a "dramatic reduction" of the number companies able to supply the government.

"While the Administration recognizes the importance of these prohibitions to national security," the letter says, according to the Journal. "A number of agencies have heard significant concerns from a wide range of potentially impacted stakeholders who would be affected."


Read the full report in The Wall Street Journal