Delay in Huawei Ban Is Sought by White House Budget Office – The New York Times
What happened: Russell Vought, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, has asked in a letter to the US Vice President Mike Pence and several members of Congress to delay a measure that bars US government agencies from contracting with Chinese telecommunications provider Huawei for two years. Vought said the measure would cause too much burden for American companies if it was enacted within one year as planned. He also seeks to delay a rule that prohibits federal grant and loan recipients from using Huawei equipment.
Why it’s important: The measure targeting Huawei was included in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Huawei on March 6 filed a lawsuit in the US, arguing the NDAA was unconstitutional because it singled out Huawei. The Chinese firm filed a motion last month to accelerate the process of the lawsuit. The American tech sector has also complained that it was unrealistic to entirely cut business with Huawei because the telecommunications supply chain is intertwined with equipment from companies in multiple nations.