Governor Hobbs Jeopardizes National Security with Veto of Legislation to Protect Arizona's Critical Infrastructure from Chinese Threats

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                     

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Governor Hobbs Jeopardizes National Security with Veto of Legislation to Protect Arizona's Critical Infrastructure from Chinese Threats

PHOENIX, ARIZONA— Senate Judiciary & Elections Committee Chair Wendy Rogers is denouncing Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs for jeopardizing state and national security by vetoing legislation late last week protecting critical infrastructure from Chinese threats.

SB 1027, also known as the Secure Telecommunications Act of 2025, would have banned any critical telecommunications infrastructure within the State of Arizona from using equipment manufactured by a foreign adversary. The bill would have required reporting requirements for telecommunications providers and penalties for noncompliance.

The bill stemmed from an FBI report released in 2022 that determined Chinese-made Huawei radio equipment, sold below the price of production and used throughout the United States within communications infrastructure, was able to provide the Communist Party of China access to domestic intelligence for espionage and sabotage attacks against Americans. In 2023, the State of Nebraska enacted a law to address this issue after discovering Huawei equipment surrounded their nuclear missile silos, prompting Senator Rogers to introduce SB 1027 with the same goal of protecting against critical infrastructure attacks by foreign adversaries.

"Governor Hobbs' veto of SB 1027 shows just how radical she really is, when similar legislation in Nebraska to protect against Chinese threats was introduced by a Democrat senator, received unanimous bipartisan support at their state legislature, and was ultimately signed into law," said Senator Rogers. "The safety and security of Arizona is in danger because she continues to serve as an obstructionist against commonsense legislation addressing the grave risk foreign adversaries pose to our nation. I'm hopeful the citizens of Arizona are paying attention to her destructive agenda, from vetoing important border security legislation and bills safeguarding our energy supply, to now this latest shameful action against SB 1027. Arizona is in danger, and the security of our nation is on the line, so long as Hobbs occupies the Executive Towers."

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For more information, contact:

Kim Quintero

Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus

kquintero@azleg.gov