‘Dangerous’ foreign threat: NJ under fire for E-ZPass contract tied to China

🚨 New Jersey Turnpike Authority awards firm $1.7B contract

🚨 Firm has ties to the Chinese Communist Party, congressman claims

🚨 Another lawmaker wants President Trump to take charge

Lawmakers are sounding the alarm over the New Jersey Turnpike Authority's decision to grant a massive E-ZPass contract to a firm with possible ties to communists in China over an American company.

The $1.73 billion contract awarded to TransCore is a risk to national security, U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J. 2nd District, said on "Fox & Friends" last week.

"This is a company that is connected directly with the CCP," Van Drew said. "The New Jersey Turnpike and these other roads are very important. They can monitor where our military equipment is being driven, where peoples' personal driving habits are, and everything else."

TransCore was acquired by Singapore Technologies Engineering in March 2022. And ST Engineering's parent company, Temasek Holdings, is wholly owned by the country of Singapore's minister of finance.

A high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party only recently stepped down from Temasek's board of directors, Fox Business reported.

Turnpike chooses more expensive contract

One competitor, Conduent Inc., questioned why the NJTA passed over its cheaper contract to do business with a company with ties to Singapore and China.

Conduent's bid was $251 million lower than TransCore's contract.

The Newark-based company filed a protest in October. Their protest is still being decided, Fox Business reported.

When it was signed in September, NJTA spokesman Thomas Feeny told NJ.com that the deal would more than double the number of E-ZPass customer service representatives.

Better customer service?

It feels like things have gotten worse since TransCore took over in September, Assemblyman Paul Kanitra, R-Ocean.

READ MORE: Here are the most infuriating problems with E-Z Pass

Kanitra said on New Jersey 101.5 that they'll get a full copy of the contract from the state Office of Legislative Services before the end of the month.

"Are there national security implications at stake since the contract got sold? We have all these ties with Singapore to China and the Communist Party that have become uncovered," Kanitra said.

Kanitra said his office will also review the contract to see if it can be undone.

How NJ could undo Turnpike Authority contract

According to the state lawmaker, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has oversight over ST Engineering's acquisition of TransCore. CFIUS has the authority to block foreign acquisitions.

RELATED: Have an E-Z Pass problem? A NJ legislator wants to help solve it

Kanitra said President Trump's administration could block the Turnpike's deal with TransCore.

In a statement, he said the contract was "dangerous" and a "genuine national security concern."

"All of this needs to be investigated and we are in the process of doing just that. Stay tuned," Kanitra said.

Independent from China?

Whitt Hall, the president and CEO of TransCore, said in a statement to Fox Business that the company has been based in the U.S. since it was founded in 1939.

"No personally identifiable information or protected data collected is ever accessible by or shared with any foreign entity or affiliate," Hall said. "Any allegations to the contrary are false."

TransCore has a National Security Agreement in place with the U.S. Departments of Justice and Treasury, Hall said. He said the company strictly complies with all cybersecurity requirements.

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