The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is one of the most interesting committees in Washington.
Its mission statement states that it is "committed to working on a bipartisan basis to build consensus on the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and develop a plan of action to defend the American people, our economy, and our values."
This week, its Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) called on Amazon and other online retailers to prominently display where their products come from on every product listing.
The committee sent a letter to Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy telling him that Americans should be informed, "particularly when the products they buy come from adversarial nations."
The letter cites that because of ongoing reports of severe cyber-threats linked to PRC-made devices like TP-Link.
Without information Americans cannot make make an informed choice but should have the option.
"We are strongly committed to a renewed 'Made in America' economic and manufacturing effort, which prioritizes revitalizing domestic production and empowering American consumers to support U.S. workers directly through their purchasing decisions. We need to rebuild American manufacturing, industrial capacity, and ensure that the economic benefits of a healthy domestic industrial base flow to American families – not foreign adversary competitors," Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi begin in the letter.
"A critical part of this national effort is ensuring that consumers are able to quickly, easily, and transparently determine the true country of origin of products sold online. This includes being able to see the percentage of component parts manufactured in the United States and whether the seller is a U.S. company or a foreign entity," they continue. "This is particularly true when products are ultimately controlled by companies based in adversarial nations such as the People’s Republic of China (PRC). As reports continue to bolster the severity of cyber threats posed by PRC-made networking devices such as TP Link, which the Committee highlighted last year, Americans should have the ability to easily choose not to buy these products."
"Unfortunately, Amazon’s current product-listing structure often makes this information difficult to locate or verify. Many listings bury country-of-origin details in nonstandardized sections, use inconsistent terminology, or omit information entirely. This prevents consumers from exercising their own preference to support our economic recovery – namely, the ability to prefer American-made goods and avoid products from foreign adversary suppliers that present a threat to their security," Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi conclude.
The members ask Amazon and other e-commerce platforms to:
· Prominently display “Country of Origin” for every product listing, using a clear and standardized format.
· Require sellers to report the percentage of U.S.-made components in a product, based on existing federal definitions and guidance.
· Provide a clear indicator of whether the seller is a U.S.-based company or a foreign entity, including ultimate beneficial ownership when the seller is affiliated with the PRC.
· Create user-friendly, filterable search tools that allow customers to view only products made in the United States or to exclude products from specific countries of origin.
· Apply robust verification mechanisms to ensure sellers do not misrepresent country-of-origin information, with a particular emphasis on ensuring PRC products are not misrepresented as originating in third countries.
A similar letter was also sent to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson outlining these concerns and asking for the Commission to take action.
In the letter, Moolenaar and Krishamoorth called on the FTC to encourage the same of other e-commerce platforms.
They wrote, “While we have sent a letter expressing this concern to Amazon, we believe all major online retailers in America should meet this standard – including platforms based in foreign adversaries like Shein and Temu, which this Committee has previously investigated.”
Read the letter to Amazon here.
Read the letter to the FTC here.
