The spending agreement released Tuesday included a bipartisan provision to limit and screen U.S. investments in China, among dozens of other proposals attached to the 1,500-page bill.
As the CEO and largest stockholder in Tesla, Musk has extensive business connections to China. The company operates a major manufacturing plant in Shanghai and has sought to
build deeper connections with Chinese companies.
DeLauro cited Tesla’s operations in China as a reason for Musk to derail a bill containing limits on investments in the country, and she cited potential issues with technologies such as self-driving cars and long-lasting batteries being made in China.
“It is extremely alarming that House Republican leadership, at the urging of an unelected
billionaire, scrapped a bipartisan, bicameral negotiated funding deal that included this critical provision to protect American jobs and critical capabilities,” DeLauro wrote.
“This is particularly concerning given Elon Musk’s extensive investments in China in key sectors and his personal ties with Chinese Communist Party leadership, and calls into question the real reason for Musk’s opposition to the original funding deal.”