A debate in Congress over whether to ban federal funds for Chinese buses and rail cars has one Southern California mayor calling residents to action to help stop the proposal.

In a Facebook post last month, Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris asked his followers to contact their local congressman, Kevin McCarthy (R – Calif.) and Katie Hill (D – Calif.), and ask them to stop attacks against companies such as Chinese automaker BYD, a privately held publicly traded company not owned by the Chinese government.

In Lancaster, BYD employs around 800 union workers, and is planning to expand the workforce to 2,500 employees. Parris called BYD a great boon to Lancaster, and said the closure of the company’s plan in his city would devastate it.

“At some point, the well-being of the American people has to count for something,” Parris said. “You’re not just gonna have the loss of those jobs, but you’re gonna have to take care of those people.”

When Parris took office in 2010, unemployment was approaching 24 percent. Crime was on an upward trend, and an economic revolution was desperately needed to save the struggling Antelope Valley city. Fortunes turned around once BYD opened the plant, and since then local unemployment has fallen to around 3 percent.

But in Washington, the National Defense Authorization Act for 2020 passed in mid-July by House Democrats included key riders blocking transit agencies from using federal money to buy rail cars made by Chinese companies over fears of espionage. In June, the Senate passed a similar bill which also took aim at buses, like those produced in Lancaster.

Parris also slammed concerns over national security expressed by provision sponsor Rep. Harley Rouda (D – Calif.) in an article from The Wall Street Journal published that same day.

“There certainly are instances where we should be very careful about what foreign corporations we allow in,” Parris said. “At the same time, we live in a global economy. Why should we say no to trillions of dollars of investment?”

Spying concerns

The risk to national security is a concern, Rail Security Alliance lobbyist Erik Olson told the Wall Street Journal on July 23.

“A foreign government would like to know when we’re moving helicopters or tanks or oil or grain,” Olson said.

Olson also warned Chinese companies subsidized by Beijing could out overrun American manufacturers and take over the industrial sector, a fear shared by Sen. John Cornyn (R – Texas), who is pushing in Congress to bar BYD and other companies like CRRC, which is a state-owned enterprise, from getting federal funds. Cornyn’s state is home to one of the top domestic freight-car makers, Dallas-based Trinity Industries Inc., a member of the Rail Security Alliance.

Parris acknowledged the concerns are valid, but said they’re unrelated to the issue of Chinese companies manufacturing on American soil. After all, Parris said, Congress doesn’t seem particularly worried about cellphones, laptops and gaming consoles manufactured overseas.

He also said policies being put in place are nothing short of protectionism for the oil industry. With electric buses poised to save cities millions of dollars in fuel costs, Parris said it’s reasonable to imagine oil lobbyists pushing against sustainable alternatives however they can.

“The savings will be in the billions of dollars if buses no longer use natural gas or diesel,” Parris said. “This bill has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with protecting energy companies.”

Chinese Companies, American Jobs

BYD employees expressed optimism about the company’s investment in Lancaster.

“I see a strong American workforce,” welder Bartholomew Taylor said in a video posted by BYD to the company’s Twitter account. “I see that this place isn’t going anywhere for a long time.”



BYD is currently planning to expand its facility to build its SkyBus monorail down the 405 Freeway. The proposal is one of LA Metro’s four new refined concepts for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor. The expansion would increase BYD jobs in Lancaster to 2,500 union employees, the loss of which would be devastating to the local economy, Parris said.

“At some point, the well-being of the American people has to count for something,” Parris said. “You’re not just gonna have the loss of those jobs, but you’re gonna have to take care of those people.”