Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., told Newsmax on Monday he's outraged his state chose to award a $17 billion E-ZPass contract to a company linked to China.
"You couldn't make this up. It's unbelievable. It should be a no brainer," Van Drew said on "National Report." "A company that is responsible for the majority of E-ZPass in the United States of America was bought out by a company in Singapore. This company has major ties to Communist China. The people on the board have major ties to Communist China."
In September, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority awarded TransCore — owned by Singapore Technologies Engineering, known as ST Engineering — the full authority to run the operation for $1.73 billion, beating out Newark's Conduent Inc., whose final offer was $1.479 billion, the New York Post reported. Conduent Inc. is appealing the decision, citing national security concerns, Van Drew said.
"I agree with them," Van Drew said. "I think they're right. And many individuals have raised voices of concern, including those that are concerned with the national security of the United States of America. And of course, I'm going to keep banging away at it.
"The New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, there's almost nobody in the country who's never traveled on one of those roads. Military equipment goes through those roads. Millions upon millions of people's information. … E-ZPass has access to all that."
Van Drew said we should be focused on America first.
"Do we take care of our American corporations and our American people?" he said. "We're just so blase about it. They're allowing Chinese to buy farms next to very secure and important areas for our military. The Turnpike Authority never should have done that. We have to make things in America. We have to award contracts to American companies, or at least to countries that are friendly with the United States."
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Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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