House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members highlighted concerns that China’s state-owned and -supported companies could exploit U.S. infrastructure and transportation projects.
America needs to build and upgrade its infrastructure. And it needs to do it now, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a House Transportation and Infrastructure hearing on July 16, during which he attested that infrastructure investment remains one of the Trump administration’s top priorities.
“Revitalizing American infrastructure is at the heart of this administration’s historic agenda. America’s ability to move goods and people freely, safely, and quickly has always been a hallmark competitive advantage,” Duffy said.
Amid growing apprehension over foreign influence in U.S. infrastructure, several representatives emphasized the national security risks posed by reliance on Chinese state-owned companies. Reps. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), and Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) expressed concerns about taxpayer dollars flowing to Chinese firms and other Chinese-affiliated entities involved in manufacturing U.S. infrastructure.
“There are substantial national security risks posed by having LiDar [a light-based detection method] manufactured by our adversaries, the Chinese Communist Party and their partners,” said Johnson.
Crawford alerted the Secretary to legislation that he and Khanna recently introduced, the STOP China Act, which would prohibit Transportation Department funds from flowing to companies backed by the Chinese government, such as BYD and RYD.
When asked how his agency would receive such a law, Duffy signaled support of this legislative effort by stating, “I believe in Buy America. We have to make sure that all costs that these products are built in America, and we have to get around the gimmicks.”
Bost also raised concerns over Chinese state-owned entities being awarded taxpayers’ dollars to produce passenger railcars, trains, and buses, highlighting his worry that $200 million granted to the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) may be used to purchase from CRRC, a Chinese state-owned entity.
To this concern, Duffy stated he was not aware but would follow up with the FRA and provide an answer while again asserting his strong support for Buy America provisions: “We are not funding Chinese companies to build products in the U.S.”
The issue of strengthening US national security against China continued with Johnson. LiDAR sensors that are manufactured by the Chinese Communist Party and their affiliates are being installed near critical us infrastructure, the South Dakota congressman said, and announced a forthcoming bill to ban DOT funds from being used on projects that utilize China-manufactured LiDAR.
Furthermore, Scholten noted that her district is home to the only domestic supplier of a specific yellow pigment used for road markings, yet 96% of such pigments used in the U.S. are imported, mainly from China. To remedy this, Scholten introduced the Paving Our Way for American Industry Act, this past June. The bipartisan bill would designate these pigments as “constructed materials” under Build America, Buy America provisions, ensuring they qualify for federal infrastructure use. Duffy said that he was unaware of this issue but affirmed, “When we can do it in America with American businesses and support American communities, I’m 100% on board.”
During this hearing, Members of Congress made one thing clear: rebuilding America’s infrastructure is not just about roads and runways but also about protecting national security and ensuring that taxpayer dollars support American workers and manufacturers, not China. As representatives from both parties raised concerns about Chinese influence in transit systems and the manufacturing sector, Duffy reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to Buy America and safeguarding our infrastructure. Legislation like the STOP China Act will enable his agency to make such provisions even stronger.