Republican lawmakers have been sounding the alarm bells on a $200 million grant awarded to a technology firm with ties to communist China that makes lithium batteries for electric cars and finally the Biden administration has reversed course will no longer be awarding the grant.
Officials from the Department of Energy (DOE) have announced that the Texas-based Microvast technology company will no longer receive a large grant from the massive $1 trillion infrastructure bill passed in 2021, which was incredibly filled with pork to fund Democrat Green New Deal projects.
Republicans have claimed that the company has ties to China and a Senator even wrote a letter to the Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm because lawmakers were worried that the relationship between Microvast and communist China arose “serious concerns about the department’s ability to protect U.S. taxpayer dollars.”
“As responsible stewards of American taxpayer dollars, the Department of Energy maintains a rigorous review process prior to the release of any awarded funds, and it is not uncommon for entities selected to participate in award negotiations under a DOE competitive funding opportunity to not ultimately receive an award,” according to a statement from a DOE spokesperson.
“The Department can confirm that it has elected to cancel negotiations and not to award Microvast funds from this competitive funding opportunity,” the statement read.
According to a letter from the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) wrote “demanding answers on DOE’s $200 million grant to Microvast, a lithium battery company that operates primarily out of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).”
“I write to you with grave concerns as the Department of Energy (DOE) continues to operate in a manner that undermines and endangers our national security. In addition to the misuse of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and security issues that have brought widespread condemnation upon the Department, DOE has awarded $200 million to Microvast, a lithium battery company that operates primarily out of the People’s Republic of China (PRC),” the senator wrote. “Microvast’s close relationship with China is no secret.”
Upon hearing the administration had canceled the grant, Barrasso applauded the decision and released a statement, “The Department of Energy has finally retreated from sending U.S. taxpayer dollars to Microvast, an electric vehicle battery company with close ties to Communist China. I’m stunned it took the Biden Administration this long to admit the obvious: no company beholden to Communist China should be considered for U.S. government grants or loans. The administration should immediately reject other applicants with similar ties. It should also overhaul its grant making process and conduct due diligence before issuing press releases.”