(Washington, DC): -- Congressman Michael R. McNulty (D-Green Island) today joined with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) to introduce legislation to ban companies owned by foreign governments from controlling operations at U.S. ports. The bill will serve as the House companion version of identical legislation sponsored by Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) in the Senate.

The bill would block the pending sale of U.S. port operations to Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the government of the United Arab Emirates.

"This bill goes much further than just blocking the Dubai Ports World deal. I don't think any U.S. port should be operated by an entity that is owned or controlled by a foreign government," McNulty said. "Our bill puts in place a blanket prohibition on such arrangements."

Dubai Ports World has announced plans to buy P&O Ports, the company that runs commercial operation at ports in New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia, as well as other U.S. cities. The transaction was reviewed and approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a committee made up of representatives of different federal departments and agencies.

McNulty stressed, "Unelected bureaucrats should not be making decisions like this -- which profoundly affect our national security."

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