The Eno Center for Transportation, a nonpartisan think tank, recently released a report on a proposed ban on the use of federal funds to purchase mass transit vehicles produced by companies owned or subsidized by the Chinese government.
The center concluded that a one-year appropriations ban is more beneficial than a permanent policy change and that the ban should remain in place until the federal government better understands the potential national security risks involved with using Chinese railcars in U.S. transit systems.
“As the trade war between the United States and China escalates and concerns over our national security mount, American cities find themselves caught in the crossfire,” Robert Puentes, president and CEO of Eno, said. “Given the competing interests of cities that want to invest in their transit systems at a low cost and a federal government that wants to protect domestic manufacturing, we hope this report will help policymakers understand the trade-offs and make informed decisions.”
Congress has passed transportation appropriations bills which prohibit the use of certain Federal Transit Administration funds for the purchase of mass-transit railcars manufactured by Chinese state-owned companies.
The Department of Homeland Security has been instructed to assess the potential national security threats from Chinese-manufactured transit vehicles.