Imagine if, during the Cold War, politicians not only allowed the Soviet Union to build factories on American soil but actually paid them millions of taxpayer dollars to do so. It’s an absurd idea, yet this is precisely the situation we face today with companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party eligible for tax credits thanks to President Joe Biden and the Democrats in Congress.
In 2022, Biden and the Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which included massive taxpayer giveaways for “green” energy. Now, Gotion Inc., a company affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, is building factories in Michigan and Illinois that would qualify for the tax credits. That’s on top of more than $700 million in incentives funded by state and local taxpayers.
Gotion is undoubtedly a threat to U.S. national security. According to the bylaws of its parent company, Gotion is required “to carry out Party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the [Chinese Communist Party].” Sadly, China often forces its own citizens to participate in industrial espionage against their will.
Gotion has also hosted Iran’s minister of industry at one of its facilities in China, and it is linked to companies that have participated in the genocide of Uyghurs in northwest China.
It would be an abomination of national security principles, sound public policy, and moral responsibility to allow tax dollars to flow to this company through the Inflation Reduction Act or any other legislation.
Former President Barack Obama’s defense secretary, Leon Panetta, along with former President Donald Trump’s secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, recently testified that Gotion poses a significant risk to American sovereignty and security. Both of these leaders understand how the Chinese Communist Party operates and how it exploits America’s freedom and openness to hurt our country.
That is why it is time for Congress to pass the NO GOTION Act, which was introduced last year by Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI). It is a simple, three-page bill that would prohibit CCP-affiliated companies such as Gotion from receiving federal tax dollars from hardworking families.
Only a fool would fund his adversaries, and Biden and the Democrats have put every member of the public in this horrible position. The NO GOTION Act would restore common sense and stop our country from being exploited by the CCP and the companies it is using to undermine our national security.
The NO GOTION Act represents a rare opportunity to safeguard our national interests, strengthen our economic resilience, and send a clear message that America will not tolerate CCP interference in our critical industries. It would also boost American companies that want to develop carbon-friendly energy instead of ones that are owned by the CCP.
In many respects, the Chinese Communist Party poses a greater threat to the United States than the Soviet Union ever did, yet today, Biden and the Democrats are poised to fund its ambitions. Congress must pass the NO GOTION Act and end the madness.
John Moolenaar is a U.S. representative for Michigan and a member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Paul Teller is the executive director of Advancing American Freedom, a think tank in Washington, D.C.
Reprinted with Permission from Advancing American Freedom – By John Moolenaar & Paul Teller
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.