Bipartisan Rouda Provision Blocking Federal Transit Dollars to Chinese State-Sponsored Companies Included in Final Passage of National Defense Authorization Act

Statement

This afternoon, Congressman Harley Rouda (CA-48) voted to pass the bipartisan conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020. The conference report includes Rep. Rouda's bipartisan measure, H.R. 2739, the Transit Infrastructure Vehicle Security Act, which prohibits the use of federal transit dollars to procure buses and railcars from Chinese state-owned or state-controlled enterprises.

Said Rouda, "The inclusion of my provision is a win for American companies, workers, and our national security. China's 'Made in China 2025' initiative is an unmistakable effort to harm American manufacturers by subsidizing Chinese rail and bus industries. Some Chinese companies misrepresent themselves as benevolent actors, but let's be clear: this is an attack on our economy and a potential threat to our national security. I thank Senator Cornyn for working with me on this legislation and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for coming together to stop the flow of Americans' taxpayer dollars to Chinese state-owned or state-controlled companies."

"This year's NDAA prioritizes the protection of our service members and their families' health, well-being, and finances. It's a strong bipartisan and bicameral piece of legislation that reaffirms our nation's commitment to assisting the men and women who protect and defend our freedom."

In addition to Rep. Rouda's provision, the NDAA:

Ends the unfair and unjust "widow's tax"
Secures 12 full weeks of paid parental leave for workers across the federal government
Emphasizes mental health treatment and programs for service members
Improves military housing by establishing a tenant bill of rights to protect military families from predatory privatized housing companies
Requires the establishment of a Defense Advisory Committee for the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct
Requires DOD to identify, mitigate, and plan for the material impacts of climate change on military installations and infrastructure
Increases the legal authority of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board to conduct nuclear safety oversight of the nuclear security enterprise
Although there were provisions related to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) included, the NDAA conference report failed to incorporate several critical provisions that would have designated PFAS chemicals as hazardous, set maximum contaminant levels for these toxic chemicals in drinking water, and reduced ongoing industrial releases into the environment.

Said Rouda, "Service members, veterans, and their families have a lot to worry about -- access to safe drinking water should not be among their concerns. While I'm deeply disappointed that several critical bi-partisan and bi-cameral provisions were excluded from this year's NDAA, there are provisions such as a phase-out of military firefighting foam and expanded monitoring of drinking water systems that serve as important first steps to begin cleanup of these dangerous, toxic chemicals. I will continue to push to hold polluters accountable and urge my colleagues to work in a bipartisan manner to address this nation-wide crisis."

Source