A recent amendment to a House GOP spending bill could potentially prevent the U.S. government from purchasing vehicles from Ford and Tesla due to their associations with the Chinese battery company CATL. This information was shared by Andres Picon, a reporter with Politico, on X. He said, “Tucked into a House GOP spending bill amendment this week was a provision that, if enacted, could effectively bar the government from buying vehicles made by Ford and potentially Tesla.” Picon further explained that “GOP has national security concerns about the automakers’ ties to a Chinese battery company.”
House Republicans have advanced several fiscal 2026 spending bills that reveal significant intraparty disagreements over energy and environmental policy, according to E&E News. A key amendment in the Financial Services-General Government bill seeks to stop the General Services Administration (GSA) from acquiring vehicles from automakers like Ford and potentially Tesla because of their licensing agreements with CATL. This move is part of broader Republican concerns about national security risks linked to partnerships with Chinese technology.
The U.S. General Services Administration oversees a federal fleet exceeding 650,000 vehicles, purchasing tens of thousands of new models annually. If automakers associated with CATL are excluded from procurement, it would prevent taxpayer dollars from supporting companies tied to Chinese technology. Critics argue that including Ford and Tesla vehicles in the federal fleet could enhance Beijing’s control over critical supply chains.
Ford has partnered with CATL for a licensed battery plant in Michigan, while Tesla continues sourcing batteries from CATL for its electric vehicle lineup, as reported by Bloomberg. Opponents warn that such dependence embeds Chinese technology into America’s electric vehicle infrastructure deeply.
Supporters of the GOP amendment believe banning federal purchases of Ford and Tesla vehicles is necessary to counter China’s dominance in battery production.
Picon covers Congress and energy policy for Politico and has previously worked at various other publications including the San Francisco Chronicle and Boston Globe.
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