Politics

U.S. Agencies Will Soon Be Barred From Working With Huawei

The ban will prohibit federal agencies and their contractors from purchasing equipment or services from five Chinese companies.

U.S. Agencies Will Soon Be Barred From Working With Huawei
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The Trump administration is moving forward with a ban that'll prohibit the U.S. government from doing business with Chinese tech giant Huawei. 

On Wednesday, the administration issued an interim rule that will implement part of the ban beginning Aug. 13.  It'll prevent federal agencies and their contractors from purchasing equipment or services from Huawei and four other Chinese companies. 

The full ban is much broader — restricting the government from also working with any company that uses the prohibited equipment and services starting in August of 2020. It's a provision that was tucked into the National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Trump last year.

The U.S. has long alleged Huawei devices pose a national security threat, and it's even pressured its allies to move away from working with the tech giant.

Huawei sued the U.S. government earlier this year over the ban. Huawei's lawsuit argues the U.S. product ban is unconstitutional, saying it unfairly singles out the company for punishment, that it violates Huawei's right to due process, and that it violates the separation of powers between Congress and the other branches of the U.S. government.