Youngkin calls out Pentagon’s plan to gift China millions with rooftop solar panels

Exclusive: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin penned a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to question the wisdom of the Pentagon’s plan to use $104 million in taxpayer funds to add solar panels to the rooftop of the Pentagon.

The Virginia Republican told Austin that he has "serious concerns" about the plan to secure solar panels to the rooftop of the Pentagon and other military installations, most notably that there has been no "stated requirement that such panels be made in America using American technology."

"This decision has significant implications for U.S. national security and brings into question whether American taxpayer dollars will be used to purchase solar equipment from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), our greatest economic and geopolitical rival," reads the letter, which was reviewed by Fox News Digital.

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

The letter comes after a January Defense Department announcement about the plan, which it said was part of the Biden administration’s effort to promote clean energy and "reestablish the federal government as a sustainability leader."

The Pentagon is just one of 31 government sites that are slated to receive the $104 million in Energy Department grants, according a PBS report from January, with projects also taking place at the U.S. Army Garrison in Wiesbaden, Germany, and other locations.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (Ian Waldie/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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But Youngkin voiced multiple concerns about the plan, noting that "companies highly influenced or controlled by the CCP dominate the global solar supply chain," making it vital that the Defense Department "require that military procurements for solar panels must come from verified domestic manufacturers with trusted supply chains."

The governor also highlighted other issues in addition to the national security implications, noting that Chinese solar panels have a higher carbon footprint than U.S. producers and often rely on forced labor to build them.

The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, March 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

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"I seriously question the prioritization of this investment and the national security implications of this potential procurement," Youngkin concluded. "If this proceeds, I strongly urge you to ensure any hardware installed on the roof of the Pentagon is manufactured in the United States and the component materials are domestically sourced."

After publication of this story, a Pentagon spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the Defense Department "will not be installing Chinese-manufactured solar panels on the Pentagon."

"The Department adheres to the requirements of the Buy American Act in making clean energy, energy efficiency, and clean energy procurement decisions. The Department uses a rigorous and extensive oversight process to ensure compliance with the law, domestic preference and trade agreement partner statutes implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation and for DOD, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement," the spokesperson said.