Genesee News

WASHINGTON—Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-08), member of the Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Trade, today applauded the passage of his bipartisan legislation, H.J.Res.39,supported by Republicans and Democrats, to support Michigan and American workers and hold those who violate U.S. trade laws accountable. 

Chinese manufacturers of solar panels have a proven history of violating U.S. trade law by using unfair trade practices, government subsidies and forced labor to undercut American workers and solar manufacturers. As a result, America today depends on foreign supply chains to meet at least 80% of U.S. solar demand. In 2012, the Obama administration applied tariffs to solar panel imports from China because Chinese companies were found to have benefitted from unfair trade practices.

In April 2022, the Biden administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated an investigation into whether Chinese manufacturers of solar panels were moving their U.S. imports through Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam to avoid existing U.S. tariffs. But in June 2022, President Biden issued an executive order that suspended any tariffs from being applied to those violating the law for two years. An independent investigation by the Biden administration and the Commerce Department determined that Chinese solar companies were engaged in illegal trade practices.

Congressman Kildee’s legislation would reverse President Biden’s order and hold those violating our trade laws accountable. The Congressman’s legislation triggers the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which allows Congress to repeal rules enacted by the executive branch if they were enacted within 60 legislative days of the end of the last legislative session.

“Failing to enforce U.S. trade laws hurts American workers and manufacturers,” said Congressman Kildee. “By suspending tariffs on those who violate our trade laws, the U.S. is rewarding bad behavior and penalizing companies that do follow the law. I look forward to the U.S. Senate taking up this critical legislation soon.”

Congressman Kildee has repeatedly acted to support American workers and call out China’s unfair trade policies. Recently, Kildee passed a new law to help bring solar panel manufacturing back to America, which was passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Congressman Kildee also successfully urged the Biden administration to prevent Chinese solar products made with forced labor from entering the U.S. in 2021 and help pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law in 2022.

 Original source can be found here.