Warner Robins Today

Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., recently revealed his introduction of amendments to be incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act.

The NDAA, an annual bill that outlines the allocation of military funding, undergoes revisions and updates by Congress each year. The proposed amendments introduced by Scott are anticipated to be incorporated into the NDAA for fiscal year 2024, according to Investopedia.

"Our DOD dollars should never be used to purchase [Chinese Community Party] battery technology, and I introduced amendments in the NDAA to prohibit that from happening," Scott said in a July 13 Twitter post. 

Scott's amendment aimed to restrict funds from being used to purchase battery technology specifically from Contemporary Amperex Technology Company, a prominent battery company associated with the CCP, according to a July 14 release from his office. However, the amendment has been expanded to include additional companies with CCP connections such as Gotion High Tech Company Limited, EVE Energy Company Limited, BYD Company and others.

“The bipartisan FY24 NDAA is critical for our nation’s defense and for supporting our service personnel, military retirees, military installations and defense industry in Georgia,” Scott said in the release. “House passage of this legislation also furthers my effort to prevent DOD funds from purchasing and using technology produced by our adversaries.”

Scott said he believes the Department of Defense should make it clear it will not purchase vehicles that utilize Contemporary Amperex Technology Company or other Chinese battery technology, according to a YouTube video shared by Scott.

"I refuse to believe that with all of the great companies in this country and with all of the great minds at Georgia Tech, MIT and everywhere else in this country, we cannot develop better technology than the Chinese have," Scott said in the YouTube video. "And if it takes us 12, 18 or 24 months to do it, then that's better than sending people who don't share our interests or our values U.S. tax dollars."

Additional amendments to the 2024 NDAA will include a range of provisions, such as preventing the closure of Air Force Combat Readiness Training Centers, increasing the stockpile of munitions within the U.S., enhancing bonuses for military nurses, implementing measures to prevent the depletion of fish stockpiles through the prohibition of illegal fishing by the CCP and more, according to a June 22 news release from Scott's office.