Baldwin Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Stop Federally Funded School Buses from Being Manufactured in China

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined a group of bipartisan colleagues to introduce the Secure School Buses Act, legislation to ensure school bus manufacturers tied to foreign entities and countries of concern, including the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), do not receive federal funding.

“When we use taxpayer dollars, we should be investing those dollars back into American businesses, workers, and communities – not sending money overseas to adversaries like China,” said Senator Baldwin. “I’m proud to work with my Democratic and Republican colleagues to ensure taxpayer investments in our children’s school buses won't line the pockets of bad actors like China and give them a competitive edge over our workers and businesses.”

Several years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Clean School Bus Program to replace existing school buses with cleaner alternatives.  According to the EPA, they have awarded almost $3 billion in taxpayer funds through this program. Troublingly, certain companies in the electric bus industry have ties to the CCP and other foreign entities of concern. While federal funds are prohibited from going to companies with ties to the CCP and other foreign entities of concern for public transit, there are no such prohibitions for the procurement of school buses. The Secure School Buses Act would prohibit the award of federal grant funding to school bus manufacturers with certain ties to a foreign entity of concern.

Senator Baldwin has long pushed to close loopholes that allow federal funding to be used for purchasing and manufacturing equipment overseas, including her bipartisan Buy America for Small Shipyard Grants, SAFE TRAINS Act, and Made in America Act, which were signed into law.   

The Secure School Buses Act is led by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and also co-sponsored by Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and John Cornyn (R-TX). The bill is endorsed by the Alliance for American Manufacturing and Heritage Action.

Click here for bill text.

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