GOP lawmakers press Ford on deal with Chinese battery maker

A trio of GOP House members sent a letter to Ford leadership Wednesday, questioning the company over a decision to partner with a Chinese battery manufacturer on a new plant in Michigan and threatening to subpoena its CEO.

Ford paused work on the battery plant this week, but the lawmakers said the automaker has not cooperated with their requests for documents about the decision or how it attempts to focus on domestic production.

“While we are encouraged to see Ford take a small first step in reevaluating its deal with [Contemporary Amperex Technology], we are concerned that Ford has not been fully transparent with our requests for documents and information,” the lawmakers said in the letter, first reported by Reuters.

The letter is signed by GOP Reps. Jason Smith (Mo.), Mike Gallagher (Wis.) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.). All three chair committees that have requested documents about the battery plant deal.

The $3.5 billion battery plant was a partnership with the Chinese firm Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), which the lawmakers allege is linked to forced labor in China’s Xinjiang province as well as holds significant ties to the country’s government.

The same lawmakers sent a letter to Ford in July outlining the concerns, but they said those concerns were never properly addressed. The company did not provide documents in response to that July letter, and it did the same for a second and third request in August and earlier this month, the lawmakers said.

“Ford’s ongoing refusal to provide substantive responses addressing the serious issues discussed in the April, July, and September letters undermines Ford’s own commitment to ‘act with transparency, integrity, and honesty’ and raises serious concerns regarding its licensing agreement with CATL,” the letter reads. 

“We write again today to seek a fully responsive production on the licensing agreement, Ford’s knowledge of CATL’s apparent attempt to shield its connection to Xinjiang-based companies, and Ford’s commitment to advance U.S. battery production.”

The lawmakers gave Ford an Oct. 6 deadline to provide documents, threatening that CEO Jim Farley could be subpoenaed if the company does not disclose the information.