I wrote in Just Security that Washington too often balks while Beijing builds. This past week is a case study. Beijing’s wiring the world. Congress can't find the switch.

www.justsecurity.org/120015/reaut...

The BUILD Act created the
@DFCgov
- America’s answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The DPA is how we mobilize U.S. industry in a crisis, from semiconductors to medical gear.

Thanks for sharing!

If the U.S. is serious about leading in the industries of the future, we need public institutions that move at the speed of ambition.

Congress’s DFC reauthorization is a moment to act.

Let’s bet big.

carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202...

To fix this, Congress could:

- ‎Let the DFC operate wherever projects are strategic
- Create a safe harbor from some lawsuits
- Lift the portfolio cap to compete
- Treat equity + political risk insurance as potential return-earning assets, not sunk costs
- ‎Make the DFC permanent

What's holding the DFC back?

- Fear of lawsuits for doing its job
- Bureaucratic red tape
- Culture of caution instead of competition
- ‎Onerous restrictions on its operations & budget

The DFC was built to compete with China – financing development projects abroad that also advance U.S. interests.

Think: biotech, solar manufacturing, critical minerals.

And it's self-financing – it earns money back for the taxpayers.

But it has the potential to do so much more.