House Republicans Pass Bill to Limit DHS Battery Purchases from Companies Linked to China Amid Labor Concerns.

House Republicans have passed a bill limiting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from purchasing batteries from certain companies connected to China. H.R. 8631, the “Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act,” would prevent the department from buying batteries from six companies with China ties. The bill passed by a voice vote under suspension of the rules, an expedited process on typically uncontroversial bills. The sponsor of the bill, Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez, argued that the government should not be spending tax dollars on batteries from companies that profit from slave labor. The vote follows allegations that Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) has ties to the Chinese government’s military apparatus.