Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) today issued the following statement in response to the announcement that Dubai Ports World of the United Arab Emirates is slated to provide operational management of six U.S. ports:

“We should say to every government in the world, if you want to do business in the United States you must abide by free market principles. America has the power to level the economic playing field – we must use it.”

“State-owned companies – whether in the UAE, China or Europe – are government-financed, giving them a competitive advantage over privately-owned companies. When the U.S. government does business with state-owned corporations, competition is stifled and our private, domestic companies have their legs cut out from under them.”

“I am concerned with the Dubai Deal not only because of the national security implications, but the economic implications as well. The Dubai Deal outsources our ports to the state-owned entity of a foreign government. This deal turns its back on the free market principles that have guided this nation into economic prosperity.”