US government wants to block Senate bill to reject ZTE deal

The United States government led by President Donald Trump wants to try to stop the Senate from passing a bill rejecting the deal to save ZTE. The government closed the deal with the smartphone maker.

The Senate wants to reject the ZTE deal by adding to an entirely different bill, the NDAA, which will determine the US military’s budget for next year. Then the Senate and the House of Representatives, which already passed the law without this addition, will have to meet to discuss the differences. At that point, the White House will try to influence the language of the change, The Wall Street Journal reports. Only when the Senate and House of Representatives have approved the same bill can that law go to Trump for his consent or veto.

On Tuesday, it came out that the Senate wants to reject the deal to save ZTE. Opposition Democrats and Republicans from Trump’s own party are opposed to the deal, saying it would not represent the interests of American companies and would threaten security. US intelligence agencies fear that the Chinese government is using companies like ZTE to spy on the US government and citizens.

The maker of smartphones and networking equipment was banned from trade by the United States because it had traded with Iran when the US had not allowed it. The trade ban prevented it from exporting or importing goods or services from US companies. As a result, it was not allowed to buy processors from Qualcomm or supply smartphones to American providers, for example. Trump struck a deal with ZTE to end the trade ban. ZTE and the Chinese government have not yet responded. The Senate will vote on the NDAA and the decision to torpedo the deal later this week.