U.S. Senator Katie Britt of Alabama joined a bipartisan group of senators in sending a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins supporting the agency’s ongoing efforts to address risks from China-linked entities accessing U.S. capital markets, according to an April 1 statement.
The senators’ action highlights concerns about investor protection, market integrity, and national security related to Chinese companies listed on American exchanges. The letter builds on the SEC’s recent work through its Cross-Border Task Force to Combat Fraud and calls for further review of these issues.
In their letter, the lawmakers wrote, “China’s access to U.S. markets – without appropriate safeguards – can put American investors and our financial system at greater risk… the [People’s Republic of China (PRC)] directly and indirectly exerts pressure on Chinese-owned and controlled entities to prioritize Beijing’s geopolitical interests – not the well-being of U.S. investors and the integrity of our financial markets.”
They continued, “American investors in these structures will – sometimes unknowingly – purchase shares in an offshore shell company contractually tied to a PRC-based operating entity… the structure leaves investors without insight into the operating entity’s true ownership structure, with weak contractual claims, and with little or no meaningful legal protection.” The letter raises concerns about opaque corporate structures such as variable interest entities (VIEs) used by some Chinese firms, as well as legal requirements in China that may limit regulatory oversight by U.S. authorities.
Britt was joined by several Republican and Democratic senators in signing this letter. She has previously introduced legislation including the Not One More Inch or Acre Act; Revitalizing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Dominance Act of 2025; and Improving Access to Small Business Information Act.
Britt supports Alabamians through services like coordinating with federal agencies and nominating candidates for U.S. service academies according to her official website. She also chairs the homeland security appropriations subcommittee according to her official website.
Britt advocates for family values, economic opportunities, social media safeguards for minors according to her official website, policies promoting mental health access, educational options, agricultural aid, social media protections for youth, and national security according to her official website. She holds roles on Senate committees focused on appropriations, judiciary matters, banking housing and urban affairs as well as rules administration according to her official website.
Britt previously served as president of Alabama’s business council according to her official website. She is noted as Alabama’s first elected female senator who prioritizes families through her perspective as “the only Republican mother of school-aged children in the Senate” while focusing on mental health care access, educational freedom, agricultural support—and chairing homeland security appropriations—according to her official website.
