‘Made in China?’: House panel demands Amazon come clean on product origins

FIRST ON FOX: Ahead of the Black Friday shopping rush, the House China Committee is demanding Amazon display the country of origin for every product it sells.In a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy obtained by Fox News Digital, chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., urged Amazon to clearly identify the origin of its products, including listing what percentage of parts are U.S.-made and whether the seller is a U.S. or foreign entity.The lawmakers called out TP-Link, a company that sells Wi-Fi routers and smart home gear on Amazon and was founded in China. The company claims that its U.S. operations are independent and that it is now headquartered in the U.S., but lawmakers have warned that any China-linked company is beholden to the 2017 Chinese Intelligence Law which requires individuals and organizations to assist intelligence agencies when asked — potentially compelling them to share data or access with Beijing.The letter also calls for Amazon to establish user-friendly, filterable search tools allowing customers to view only products made in the U.S. or to exclude products from specific countries of origin and apply robust verification mechanisms.LAWSUIT CLAIMS BABY MONITORS MARKETED AS SAFE MAY BE FEEDING DATA TO BEIJINGThe committee also wrote to the Federal Trade Commission encouraging it to press all e-commerce platforms to do the same. The committee believes the FTC could use its existing consumer protection authority to require e-commerce platforms to disclose product origins, even absent new legislation.In a separate letter sent to Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson, the committee urged the agency to press all online marketplaces — including foreign-based platforms like Shein and Temu — to meet the same transparency standards.Moolenaar and Krishnamoorth argued that Amazon’s current system "often makes this information difficult to locate or verify," with many listings "burying country-of-origin details in nonstandardized sections" or omitting them entirely. He said the lack of transparency prevents Americans from "choosing to support U.S. workers and avoid products from adversarial nations."The chairmen framed the issue as both an economic and national security priority, saying Americans should not have to "unwittingly buy products ultimately controlled by companies based in adversarial nations such as the People’s Republic of China."They requested a written response from Amazon by December 15, outlining whether the company plans to implement the proposed reforms and on what timeline.The move comes as lawmakers intensify scrutiny of Chinese-made technology and supply chains amid concerns about Beijing’s influence over critical infrastructure and consumer data. Earlier this year, a congressional panel raised alarms about the potential cybersecurity risks posed by Chinese networking equipment, including TP-Link routers commonly sold online.Moolenaar and Krishnamoorth said greater transparency would not only help American shoppers make informed choices but also strengthen the country’s manufacturing base. "An American company like Amazon has the power to bolster U.S. economic and national security with a simple change to how it displays product information," he wrote.Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei FOX Business Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei FOX Business