Last week, Georgia Rep. Austin Scott revealed his introduction of amendments to be incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). These amendments aim to prevent the allocation of funds towards battery technology associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
"Our DOD dollars should never be used to purchase CCP battery technology, and I introduced amendments in the NDAA to prohibit that from happening," Scott tweeted.
The NDAA, an annual bill that outlines the allocation of military funding, undergoes revisions and updates by Congress each year. The proposed amendments introduced by Scott are anticipated to be incorporated into the Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA, according to Investopedia.
“The bipartisan FY24 NDAA is critical for our nation’s defense and for supporting our service personnel, military retirees, military installations, and defense industry in Georgia,” Scott said, according to a news release. “House passage of this legislation also furthers my effort to prevent DOD funds from purchasing and using technology produced by our adversaries.”
Initially, Scott's amendment aimed to restrict funds from being used to purchase battery technology specifically from Contemporary Amperex Technology Company (CATL), a prominent battery company associated with the CCP. However, the amendment has been expanded to include additional companies with CCP connections. These companies now include Gotion High tech Company, Limited, EVE Energy Company, Limited, BYD Company and others, according to the release.
"I do think that the DOD should make it very clear that the DOD, the United States Department of Defense, is not going to purchase any vehicle that utilizes CATL or any other Chinese battery technology," Scott said in a YouTube video. "I refuse to believe that with all of the great companies in this country and with all of the great minds at Georgia Tech, MIT, and everywhere else in this country, we cannot develop better technology than the Chinese have. And if it takes us 12, 18, or 24 months to do it, then that's better than sending people who don't share our interests or our values U.S. tax dollars."
Additional amendments to the Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA include a range of provisions, such as preventing the closure of Air Force Combat Readiness Training Centers, increasing the stockpile of munitions within the United States, enhancing bonuses for military nurses, implementing measures to prevent the depletion of fish stockpiles through the prohibition of illegal fishing by the CCP and more, according to another news releaserelease from Scott.
