Rep. Crawford Introduces Legislation Protecting U.S. Rail from Companies Owned by the Chinese Communist Party

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sara Robertson (Sara.Robertson2@mail.house.gov)

Rep. Crawford Introduces Legislation Protecting U.S. Rail from Companies Owned by the Chinese Communist Party

5/4/2021

Washington — Today, Representative Rick Crawford (AR-01) introduced legislation along with 5 of his colleagues. The Rolling Stock Protection Act would reverse the Federal Transit Administration’s interpretation of Section 7613 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. Section 7613 was originally designed to prevent FTA funds from procuring rolling stock from Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOE). Unfortunately, the FTA interpreted the provision to permit contracts enacted before the end of this year to bypass the law, creating a loophole that directly contradicts the purpose of the law and caters to the SOEs. The Rolling Stock Protection Act would remove this life-time exemption and restore the law back to its original intent.

“No American dollars should go toward funding the Chinese Communist Party’s malicious behavior and oppressive dictatorship. China has continued to demonstrate that they will go to extreme lengths to lie, cheat, and steal from American ingenuity to further advance their Made in China 2025 campaign. Ensuring that our rail companies do not fall victim to Chinese government attacks is a matter of national security,” said Rep. Crawford (AR-01).

“Rolling stock plays a fundamental role in American infrastructure. Dangerous adversaries such as China have a vested interest in controlling supply of rolling stock, giving them leverage over America’s ability to construct and maintain our crucial infrastructure. With this threat in mind, no taxpayer dollars should be going to procuring rolling stock from Chinese state-owned enterprises. I thank Congressman Crawford and my colleagues for engaging on this important issue,” said Rep. Gimenez (FL-26).

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