Report: Trump expected to sign executive order that would block Huawei from the U.S.

After a year of delays, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order this week prohibiting American firms from purchasing and using telecommunications equipment from foreign companies that present a national security risk, three U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

While the order will not list the names of any specific companies or countries, the goal is to set Trump up so he can ban U.S. businesses from buying equipment from China's Huawei, the world's third-largest maker of smartphones, Reuters reports. U.S. officials say Huawei equipment could be used by China to spy on Americans, an allegation the company denies.

The order cites the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which authorizes the president to regulate commerce in the event of an unusual and extraordinary threat, officials told Reuters. Last year, Trump signed a measure banning the U.S. government from using equipment from two Chinese companies: Huawei and ZTE Corp.

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