Scalise: ‘Solyndra-Style Slush Fund’ Infrastructure Spending Is Going to ‘Companies That Have to Answer to China’

On Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow,” House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) reacted to a wholly-owned subsidiary of Microvast receiving a $200 million grant under the infrastructure law in collaboration with General Motors and reporting on Microvast’s relationship with China, which includes the company admitting that the Chinese government “exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we must conduct our business activities” by stating that the bill is “a Solyndra-style slush fund” and at a time of inflation, the Biden administration is giving millions to “companies that have to answer to China.”

Scalise stated, “This is what we warned of when we were passing the bill…I called it a Solyndra-style slush fund back last year and the White House mocked that statement. And here we go again, you’re seeing $200 million of your hard-earned tax dollars is going to go to a company that, by their own definition, said the Chinese government has influence, exerts influence in how they do business. Is that who we want to be giving $200 million of American taxpayer money to? And yet, that’s what the secretary just did. I can’t wait to see her explain that in a public hearing when we bring her in to talk about that and the other hundreds of millions and billions of dollars of your hard-earned tax dollars that are going to companies like this, companies that have to answer to China. And yet, your tax dollars in America are going to those companies. It makes absolutely no sense. Again, we have inflation. They’ve racked up trillions in spending and debt just to give money away, hundreds of millions at a time, to Chinese companies.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett