The U.S. subsidiary of a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker and its chief executive officer have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democrats in recent years.
Stella LeeBYD Americas' top executives and the company itself have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and organizations in and outside California over the past decade. according to According to a Daily Caller News Foundation review of federal and state political spending records, BYD is a China-based maximum The company is the world's largest maker of electric vehicles, and in January Congress took action to ban the Department of Defense from buying its batteries, citing national security risks. according to To Bloomberg News.
For example, according to a DCNF review of political finance records, BYD and Li donated more than $40,000 to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) between 2020 and 2023. The company and Li have so far funneled more than $30,000 to groups supporting President Joe Biden's 2024 reelection effort. (Related: Bill Gates Foundation pours millions into Chinese government organizations in 2022)
Governor Newsom test drove an electric hybrid vehicle built by a Chinese company with which he previously received a no-bid contract. https://t.co/97IdXPNkWs
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 25, 2023
California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, received about $60,000 from Li and BYD USA between 2018 and 2023. Newsom has come under criticism for his administration's decision to award BYD a $1 billion no-bid buyout. contract BYD offered to help supply protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the company's core business being elsewhere, and Newsom later took a BYD vehicle on a public test drive during a visit to mainland China in 2023.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa received more than $10,000 from Li in support of his failed gubernatorial campaign in 2018, and the California Democratic Party received approximately $19,000 from Li and BYD USA between 2018 and 2020, according to a DCNF review of political finance records.
Michael Anotovich, former chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and architect of California's bullet train plan, received more than $11,000 from BYD USA and its executives to support political activities in 2015 and 2016, according to a review of DCNF political spending records. Anotovich, along with Villaraigosa, frequently governed in ways that benefited BYD, including funneling millions of dollars from the city's Clean Bus pilot program to BYD, the Los Angeles Times reported. report 2018.
Additionally, BYD USA donated $25,000 to the 501(c)(4) organization. California Safety and Reliability infrastructure California Advocates for Safe and Reliable Infrastructure was one organization that opposed failing infrastructure in 2018, according to a DCNF review of state records. Suggestion 6 The measure would repeal a 12-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline passed last year and require voter approval for any future tax or fee increases on gasoline.
According to a DCNF review of political finance records, former California Assemblyman Ed Chau raised $7,000 from BYD USA and its executives to further his own ambitions in 2018 and 2020. In particular, Chau: Nominations Li won the “Woman of the Year” award in her district in 2018. (Related article: “On the road to obsolescence”: Chinese automakers could drive out American auto giants)
Buttigieg says if you buy an electric car you won't have to worry about gas prices…someone should remind him how out of touch he is pic.twitter.com/tiJVkl7wB3
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 7, 2022
Meanwhile, the DCNF investigation found that BYD USA and Li donated more than $19,000 to Los Angeles City Councilman Kevin de Leon in 2017 and 2018. Notably, de Leon was then the acting president of the California Senate. Said “California and the rest of the country need more companies like BYD to turn policy opportunities into job creation,” he said in 2017. Cut the ribbon BYD USA's manufacturing facility expansion ceremony in Lancaster, California.
BYD is one of the world's largest EV manufacturers, but its American subsidiary specifically focuses on electric trucks, forklifts, and buses, according to the company's website. The company is reportedly exploring options to enter the U.S. EV market via Mexico, and the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recently finalized tailpipe emissions standards for heavy vehicles could benefit BYD USA in the long run. according to Analysis by climate-focused publication HEATMAP.
In recent years, the company has expanded its presence around the world under the “driving force” of China's Belt and Road Initiative. according to According to a paper published in Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research in 2018, the BRI $1 trillion Beijing is building infrastructure projects and seeking to gain economic influence in other countries in what is “widely seen as an economic power struggle that could challenge U.S. geopolitical influence.” according to To the Jamestown Foundation.
In addition, BYD Advertised in Several article Posts Go to the official Chinese government website called the “Belt and Road Portal.”
Additionally, Congress has specifically criticized the company in two separate National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA). The 2020 NDAA included a provision banning public funds from supporting China-linked transportation companies such as BYD. according to The NDAA, passed in December 2023, will ban the Department of Defense from purchasing batteries made by BYD and five other Chinese companies after 2027, according to the Washington Post.
Newsom, Ma, DeLeon, BYD USA, the Democratic National Committee, the California Democratic Party, ActBlue and the Biden campaign's offices did not respond to requests for comment. Anotovich could not be reached for comment, and Villaraigosa's current employer did not respond to a request for comment on his behalf. The Los Angeles County Superior Court where Chau currently serves as a judge did not respond.
As an independent, nonpartisan news service, all content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation is available free of charge to any legitimate news publisher with a large readership. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and affiliation with the DCNF. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
