A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation aimed at preventing federal transportation grants from being used to purchase buses or rail cars made by state-backed Chinese companies. The bill, known as the Safeguarding Transit Operations to Prohibit (STOP) China Act, seeks to reduce reliance on Chinese manufacturers in the U.S. transit sector and limit the influence of the Chinese government over domestic supply chains.
The legislation was introduced by Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), John Cornyn (R-TX), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Gary Peters (D-MI), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and Tina Smith (D-MN). A companion bill is being led in the House of Representatives by Congressmen Rick Crawford (R-AR) and John Garamendi (D-CA).
Sen. Scott emphasized the necessity of the measure to protect U.S. infrastructure from potential exploitation.
“We cannot allow an adversarial regime access to supply chains and transit that we rely on every day,” Scott stated, warning against using American tax dollars to fund projects that may benefit the Chinese Communist Party.
Supporters of the bill include various labor unions and industry groups, such as the Alliance for American Manufacturing, the Steel Manufacturers Association, the United Steelworkers, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the Transport Workers Union of America.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn echoed these concerns, stating, “The STOP China Act would prevent hard-earned American dollars from being used to purchase Chinese-made vehicles in our transit infrastructure, thereby protecting our national security and supporting American manufacturing.”
If enacted, the legislation would prohibit the U.S. Department of Transportation from granting funds to transit agencies that purchase rolling stock from entities linked to the Chinese government.
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