Dingell, Colleagues Urge President Trump to Block Chinese Automakers from Entering U.S. Market

Today, U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) and 73 of her House Democratic colleagues urged President Trump to block Chinese automakers from accessing the United States market. The lawmakers are raising concerns over threats to American workers and business, manufacturing, and national security.

The effort comes ahead of President Trump's planned meeting with Chinese Xi Jinping in mid-May in Beijing, and it follows reports of Chinese automakers targeting the North American market, including the United States.

"As you prepare for your upcoming summit with the President of the People's Republic of China, any effort to lower barriers for Chinese automobiles or otherwise facilitate their entry into the U.S. market would pose a direct threat to American manufacturing, workers, and national security. This must remain a firm and non-negotiable priority," the lawmakers said.

The lawmakers emphasized that the U.S. auto industry is a cornerstone of the American economy, supporting approximately 10 million jobs. They warned that Chinese automakers benefit from heavy state subsidies and exploitative labor conditions that distort global competition and disadvantage American companies and workers.

The letter to President Trump also raises concerns about China's efforts to circumvent U.S. trade protections by routing vehicles through Canada and Mexico under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

"Chinese-owned or controlled vehicles, regardless of where they are assembled, must not be permitted to enter our market through USMCA or any other mechanism. Allowing such circumvention would undermine existing tariffs, weaken trade enforcement, and erode policies designed to support domestic manufacturing," the lawmakers said.

To address the concerns outlined in the letter, Congresswoman Dingell and the lawmakers called on President Trump to:

• Maintain and strengthen existing tariffs and trade enforcement measures on Chinese automakers and automobiles;

• Ensure that Chinese automakers cannot establish manufacturing operations in the United States or use North American production as a backdoor into the U.S. market;

• Explicitly prohibit vehicles produced by Chinese-owned or controlled entities in Canada or Mexico from qualifying for USMCA benefits or entering the United States;

• Accelerate and expand restrictions on Chinese-connected vehicle technologies across all vehicle classes; and

• Work with allies to counter China's coordinated effort to dominate the global auto industry through non-market practices.

In addition to Congresswoman Dingell, Members of Congress who signed this letter include Gabe Amo (D-RI-01), Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03), Wesley Bell (D-MO-01), Brendan Boyle (D-PA-02), Shontel Brown (D-OH-11), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13), Janelle Bynum (D-OR-05), Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), André Carson (D-IN-07), Troy Carter (D-LA-02), Gilbert Cisneros (D-CA-31), Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09), Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Lou Correa (D-CA-46), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30), Sharice Davids (D-KS-03), Donald Davis (D-NC-01), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Christopher DeLuzio (D-PA-17), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD-03), Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX-07), John Garamendi (D-CA-08), Laura Gillen (D-NY-04), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA-34), Steven Horsford (D-NV-04), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06), Val Hoyle (D-OR-04), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01), Julie Johnson (D-TX-32), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Timothy Kennedy (D-NY-26), Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), Greg Landsman (D-OH-01), John Larson (D-CT-01), George Latimer (D-NY-16), Susie Lee (D-NV-03), Stephen Lynch (D-MA-08), John Mannion (D-NY-22), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-MI-08), Morgan McGarvey (D-KY-03), Robert Menendez (D-NJ-08), Joseph Morelle (D-NY-25), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23), Frank Mrvan (D-IN-01), Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01), Scott Peters (D-CA-50), Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), Nellie Pou (D-NJ-09), Emily Randall (D-WA-06), Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Josh Riley (D-NY-19), Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25), Andrea Salinas (D-OR-06), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Hillary Scholten (D-MI-03), Terri Sewell (D-AL-07), Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17), Darren Soto (D-FL-09), Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04), Haley Stevens (D-MI-11), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10), Thomas Suozzi (D-NY-03), Emilia Sykes (D-OH-13), Shri Thanedar (D-MI-13), Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02), Paul Tonko (D-NY-20), Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15), Derek Tran (D-CA-45), Marc Veasey (D-TX-33), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25).

The letter can be found HERE and text is below:

Dear Mr. President:

This letter expresses our significant concern with your remarks about allowing Chinese automakers access to the United States market. We urge your administration to take any and all decisive action necessary to prevent such entry.

As you prepare for your upcoming summit with the President of the People's Republic of China, any effort to lower barriers for Chinese automobiles or otherwise facilitate their entry into the U.S. market would pose a direct threat to American manufacturing, workers, and national security. This must remain a firm and non-negotiable priority.

The U.S. auto industry is the backbone of American manufacturing. It supports approximately 10 million jobs and accounts for 5 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP). It sustains a vast and interconnected manufacturing base - from steel and semiconductors to parts suppliers and advanced technologies - that supports economic growth and middle-class jobs in communities across our country.

The Chinese auto industry does not compete on a level playing field. It is driven by a state-directed strategy to dominate global markets through government subsidies, below-market financing, and non-market behavior across the supply chain. These advantages are compounded by exploitative labor practices, including suppressed wages, lack of worker protections, and credible reports of forced labor, creating structural advantages that no American company operating under fair labor standards can match.

These practices have already reshaped the global auto market. In 2025, China exported more than 8 million vehicles. Chinese brands now account for roughly 62 percent of the global electric vehicle market. Their vehicles, which are heavily subsidized and often priced far below market rates, are rapidly expanding across South America, the Middle East, Europe, and other emerging markets, capturing market share and reshaping the global auto industry.

China is actively positioning itself to bypass U.S. trade protections by expanding its presence in North America. In Mexico, Chinese vehicle imports have surged from 2021 to 2025. In Canada, recent policy changes have significantly lowered tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, allowing tens of thousands of vehicles into the Canadian market annually under a quota system, potentially reaching 70,000 vehicles per year by 2030. These developments raise serious concerns that Chinese automobiles could establish a foothold in Canada and seek to move into the United States market, and these trends create a clear and urgent risk that Chinese automakers are looking to use Canada and Mexico as a backdoor into the United States under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Chinese-owned or controlled vehicles, regardless of where they are assembled, must not be permitted to enter our market through USMCA or any other mechanism. Allowing such circumvention would undermine existing tariffs, weaken trade enforcement, and erode policies designed to support domestic manufacturing.

There are real national security implications, as today's vehicles are increasingly connected, capable of collecting and transmitting sensitive data about drivers, infrastructure, and surrounding environments. The U.S. Department of Commerce has already recognized the risks posed by Chinese-connected vehicle technologies, including the potential for surveillance, data exploitation, and remote interference. These risks are inherent and cannot be mitigated once embedded in our transportation network.

We have consistently worked to confront these threats by supporting strong trade enforcement, pushing for restrictions on Chinese-connected vehicle technologies, and advocating for policies that protect American workers and domestic manufacturing. This is a bipartisan issue that is about protecting our industrial base, our workforce, and our national security, and we urge your administration to:

• Maintain and strengthen existing tariffs and trade enforcement measures on Chinese automakers and automobiles;

• Ensure that Chinese automakers cannot establish manufacturing operations in the United States or use North American production as a backdoor into the U.S. market;

• Explicitly prohibit vehicles produced by Chinese-owned or controlled entities in Canada or Mexico from qualifying for USMCA benefits or entering the United States;

• Accelerate and expand restrictions on Chinese-connected vehicle technologies across all vehicle classes; and

• Work with allies to counter China's coordinated effort to dominate the global auto industry through non-market practices.

We must not cede the American auto industry to a strategic competitor intent on global dominance. The consequences for American workers, our supply chains, our national security, and our communities would be profound and irreversible. Therefore, we urge you to take clear and decisive action to ensure that Chinese automakers are not permitted to enter the United States market in any capacity.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.