Outrage as Glenn Youngkin raises concern about Pentagon's plan to have solar panels using taxpayers money

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VIRGINIA: Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin challenging the Pentagon's plan to install solar panels on its roof with $104 million using taxpayers funds.

The Virginia Republican told Austin that he has "serious concerns" about the plan to mount solar panels on the Pentagon's and other military installations' rooftops, primarily because there isn't a "stated requirement that such panels be made in America using American technology."

What does the letter read?

"This decision has significant implications for US 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. 

The plan was announced by the Defense Department in January and, according to the department, the letter is a part of the Biden administration's efforts to "reestablish the federal government as a sustainability leader" and promote clean energy.

According to a January PBS report, the $104 million in grants from the Energy Department are intended for 31 government sites, including the Pentagon. Projects will also be carried out at the US Army Garrison in Wiesbaden, Germany, and other locations.

Glenn Youngkin voiced multiple concerns about the plan

However, 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 brought attention to a number of other concerns in addition to the implications for national security, pointing out that Chinese solar panel manufacturers frequently use forced labor and have a larger carbon footprint than American manufacturers.

"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," he added.

Glenn Youngkin previously asked public schools to cut ties with Chinese Communist Party-linked entities

The Fairfax County Public Schools were asked to sever ties with organizations associated with the Chinese Communist Party in March 2023 by the governor's administration.

“Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ), an elite public high school in Fairfax County, Virginia, has received over one million dollars from Chinese interests in exchange for help developing similar schools in China," Breitbart News noted at the time. 

The governor's office requested in March 2023 that the Fairfax County Public Schools sever their connections to organizations associated with the Chinese Communist Party.

Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities employed by solar power plants in Xinjiang were allegedly working "of their own will" for a competitive salary, according to a 2021 news by the outlet, citing China's state-run Global Times.

Internet slams Pentagon’s plan

Netizens slammed Pentagon for planning to gift China millions with rooftop solar panels. One user asked, "In their eyes, isn’t taxpayers’ money money?" Another user expressed his frustration, "They're not even trying to hide it anymore." "Can't imagine what China has on Biden. Oh wait. Yes I can," said one. 

"What the hell????!!!!!! Damn!!! Stop this NOW!!!!! This pentagon is the worst we have ever had. Is this where the pentagon’s lost billions are going????????" wrote another. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.