WASHINGTON — Legislation announced in Congress this week would bar federal funding for Chinese-built railcars and buses, tightening an existing prohibition.
Six senators — three Republicans and three Democrats — announced the “Safebuarding Transit Operations to Prohibit China, or STOP China, Act. It would prohibit the use of Department of Transportation funding for the purchase of equipment built by companies associated with the Chinese government.
U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) are sponsoring the legislation. U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) and John Garamendi (D-Calif) are leading the companion legislation in the house.
Text of the bill is not yet available on the Congress website.
“It is China’s mission to infiltrate and dominate every aspect of American society, including our transit systems, and we cannot let them succeed,” Cornyn said in a press release. “By preventing American tax dollars from being used to purchase Chinese government transit buses or rail cars, our legislation would help protect U.S. transportation infrastructure from the [Chinese Communist Party].”
A prohibition on Federal Transit Administration funding for transit equipment was part of the defense authorization bill for fiscal 2020, but China has continued to pursue business through other forms of funding. The new bill would broaden the funding prohibition, and require the United States Trade Representative and U.S. Attorney General to produce a list of prohibited entities headquartered in or affiliated with China.
“When we invest American taxpayer dollars, we should be supporting our Made in America economy and American workers, not opening our checkbook to adversaries like China,” Baldwin said. “I’m proud to work with Republicans and Democrats to support our workers and companies, keep the United States safe, and close a loophole that Chinese companies are exploiting to win government contracts and undercut American workers.”
