Ricketts said he is committed to deterring Communist China, strengthening military cooperation, and funding Border Patrol and ICE.
Commit to deterring Communist China.
Occurrences
The next ambassador must therefore do more than just maintain the status quo. This role requires strengthening deterrence, deepening defense coordination and enhancing resilience.
Evidence
Ricketts said the U.S. must win the AI race with Communist China and highlighted the MATCH Act in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
Ricketts used a Fox Business appearance to promote SAFE of Chips and MATCH, bills meant to restrict advanced AI chip and semiconductor equipment sales to China.
The senator's home page listed 'Ricketts, Kaine Introduce Bill to Bolster AUKUS Cooperation' on June 11, 2026.
Ricketts' Senate issue page says adversaries including the Chinese Communist Party are expanding military capabilities, says deterrence requires American strength, and says he is pushing back against CCP aggression on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Ricketts' office said he discussed work to counter Communist China in AI and highlighted the bipartisan MATCH Act to strengthen export controls on chokepoint semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
Ricketts' office said he highlighted the SAFE of Chips Act and MATCH Act, which would limit sales of advanced AI chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment to Communist China.
Ricketts' office announced he introduced the AFIDA Improvements Act to improve USDA's ability to combat foreign adversaries' ownership of U.S. agricultural land, with repeated references to China and CCP-related land concerns.
The draft bill text lists Mr. Ricketts as introducing the AFIDA Improvements Act of 2025 and requires added foreign agricultural land reporting, USDA-CFIUS information sharing, and implementation of GAO recommendations on national-security risks.
The Senate roll call shows the motion to concur on H.R. 815 passed 79-18 on April 23, 2024, and lists Ricketts (R-NE) as voting Yea.
Public Law 118-50 includes the Indo-Pacific Security Supplemental Appropriations Act and appropriates funds for Taiwan-related defense articles, defense services, and military education and training.
Public Law 118-50 includes the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, prohibits distribution or hosting of covered foreign-adversary controlled apps absent qualified divestiture, and specifically names ByteDance and TikTok.
Assessments
Ricketts made and supported concrete federal actions aimed at deterring China during his current Senate term. Most importantly, he voted yea on H.R. 815, which became Public Law 118-50 and included Indo-Pacific/Taiwan security funding and foreign-adversary controlled application restrictions naming ByteDance/TikTok. His additional same-term bills and advocacy on AUKUS, semiconductor export controls, AI competition, and foreign-adversary farmland reporting reinforce that this was an active policy commitment, not merely rhetoric. Because at least one relevant deterrence-oriented measure became law with his vote, the broad promise to commit to deterring Communist China is fulfilled in the same term.
The promise is framed as a commitment to pursue deterrence of Communist China, not as a promise to singlehandedly achieve a final geopolitical outcome. In his current Senate term, Ricketts has taken concrete deterrence-oriented actions: promoting export-control bills aimed at limiting advanced AI chip and semiconductor equipment sales to China, advocating technology competition measures in committee, and introducing AUKUS-related security legislation. Those actions show he has followed through on the promised policy commitment in federal office, even though the broader strategic goal is ongoing.