SHIELD Against CCP Act

This bill mandates the establishment of a working group within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to address a range of threats posed to the United States by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). These threats encompass terrorist, cybersecurity, border and port security, and transportation security concerns. The working group, led by a Director appointed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, will be staffed with sufficient personnel, including a privacy compliance officer. The working group's duties include examining and reporting on DHS efforts to counter CCP activities such as the exploitation of the U.S. immigration system, predatory economic practices like intellectual property theft and forced labor, and support for transnational criminal organizations involved in illicit drug trafficking. It will also account for DHS resources dedicated to these programs and identify gaps in current policies and processes. Furthermore, the group is tasked with facilitating cooperation among various DHS components for a holistic response. An additional duty involves reviewing and disseminating threat information with Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial partners, as well as the National Network of Fusion Centers. The Secretary of Homeland Security must submit annual assessments to Congress for five years, detailing CCP threats and the working group's activities, with unclassified portions made publicly available. The bill also requires research and development into new technologies to enhance security against these threats, ensuring all actions comply with constitutional, privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections.