Bipartisan movement in US Senate may reverse ZTE deal and hand over 'death penalty'
- Jun. 12th 2018 6:52 am PT
Right as it seemed ZTE was safe, a movement in the US Senate may spell the end of the company according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
According to this latest report, a movement within the US Senate with bipartisan support is about to go up to a vote which, if passed, would reverse President Trump's recent deal with the Chinese company. Apparently, this amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act would put the export ban back in place with ZTE, restricting the company from using products originating in the United States.
Lifting the ban under Trump's deal would result in ZTE still buying from US suppliers, but paying massive fines upwards of $1 billion with US law enforcement monitoring the company's actions. However, that deal faced criticism from other members of the US Government from the beginning.
It's expected that this new amendment will make its way into the National Defense Authorization Act which is also expected to make its way through Congress and finally signed into law by President Trump. A Republican Senator from Arkansas says that ultimately he "would expect that there wouldn't be a ZTE" and that "the death penalty is an appropriate punishment for their behavior."