Securing the Government Supply Chain: Section 889 and Prohibitions on Chinese Telecom

Rarely does a new law affect federal contractors so universally as does Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (Section 889).¹ Section 889 is a broad legislative mandate to secure the federal supply chain from threats originating from companies based in China. The statutory provision limits the government’s ability to procure, or work with companies that use, “covered telecommunications equipment or services,” defined to include equipment and services produced or provided by certain Chinese telecommunications companies.