GOP Lawmaker Seeks to Block US Taxpayer Dollars From Funding CCP-Affiliated Entities

The rural Michigan community of Green Charter Township was to become home to a Chinese EV battery plant. Courtesy of Jim Chapman

A Republican lawmaker recently introduced a bill prohibiting U.S. taxpayer dollars from funding companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The legislation from Rep. John James (R-Mich.), titled “No American Tax Dollars to CCP Act,” would bar taxpayer dollars from funding state-backed Chinese companies and forbids joint ventures or partnerships with “foreign entities of concern.”

U.S. Rep.-elect John James (R-Micj,) delivers remarks in the House Chamber during the third day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 5, 2023. Win McNamee/Getty Images

‘There’s no way that hardworking taxpayers’ dollars should be going to a Chinese company with bylaws that literally declare fealty to the CCP, James told “China in Focus” on NTD, the sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

He cited the Gotion project in Michigan as an example. He took note of the project site’s proximity to an American military base, which he believed to be a critical geographic and industrial area in central Michigan.

On April 20, a Michigan Senate committee approved spending $175 million in state money to build a facility that Chinese manufacturer Gotion had planned for northern Michigan.

The $2.4 billion electric vehicle (EV) battery project will be built on a large site in Big Rapids, Michigan, just 100 miles from Camp Grayling—the Michigan National Guard training center.

“The Michigan Legislature approving millions of dollars going to Gotion is not only an economic boon for the CCP, but it also plays directly into the hands of China, increasing its military might, putting a station that literally has in their bylaws conduct espionage on American businesses and report back to the CCP,” James said.

“The CCP is ready and willing to rush in to fill the gaps that America has left all over the country and all over the world … and we need to make sure that our money doesn’t go to the CCP that the taxpayers Americans have worked so hard for,” he added.

The bill, the lawmaker said, targets not only the Chinese regime, but also other foreign entities of concern, which he described as the one that says “Death to America,” or has continued to take advantage of the United States, or has interests in defeating America.

It would also target Russia, North Korea, and Iran, he said.

Long Game

James believes the Chinese regime is playing a long game.

“When we think in terms of election cycles and quarters, the communists are thinking in terms of centuries and dynasties,” he said.

“China wants to have the preeminent economy and the preeminence of the military in the world by 2049, which is the 100-year anniversary of communism in China. In the next 25 years, they’re going to be doing their best to get there. And American politicians shouldn’t be betting in that process,” he noted.

‘Regain Our Energy Independence’

As the Biden administration races to deploy green energy, James said, “We need to come back to untether our ambitions to reality.

“In America, we dream big, and we do big things. And we shouldn’t stop that. But we need to make sure that we don’t leave our workforce behind. And we need to make sure that our infrastructure is ready.”

He pointed to the H.R.1, dubbed the “Lower Energy Costs Act.” The enormous GOP package passed by the House on March 30 seeks to significantly enhance American production of oil, natural gas, and coal, as well as remove permission regulations that have slowed pipelines, refineries, and other projects. It would also increase the production of essential minerals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt, which are utilized in products like EVs, computers, and telephones.

“That’s very important that we maintain and regain our energy independence so that we are not beholden to any entities of concern, or frankly, anyone else,” James said.

“We have the ability to be energy independent and also protect our allies from extortion from Russia. We have the ability to grow our economy here, and also take care of our allies, and increase our leverage with our opponents and those who would seek to hurt us.”