Late last week, in a letter, a bipartisan coterie of Senators demanded—including several on the Senate Finance Committee which has jurisdiction on trade—that the Biden Administration convene an interagency response group to tackle Chinese texts and apparel manufactured with allegedly slave labor. Yesterday, ACG Analytics wrote about a similar concern among trade-focused lawmakers regarding solar products.

The letter was spearheaded by Senate Finance Committee members Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC). It was also signed by fellow Senate Finance Committee member and Republican Presidential candidate Tim Scott (R-SC) as well as Sens. Tedd Budd (R-NC), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).

The letter calls on President Biden to form an interagency working group comprising the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the National Security Council (NRC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as the Department of the Treasury and Commerce.

The letter calls on that interagency working group to work with regional allies and focus on 1) enforcement of current trade laws; 2) reforms to de minimis shipments which escape import controls (those under $800); and 3) other trade remedies as appropriate which could include tariffs.

Previously, U.S. lawmakers have identified China-based Shein and Temu as malfeasors.

The Senators accuse “China and other Asian suppliers” of “flooding” the U.S. market with textiles made using slave labor.

This is the latest effort to take action on textiles and apparel entering the U.S. from Asia. Earlier this year, Brown and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced “The Import Security and Fairness Act” which was also introduced in the House by House Ways & Means Trade Subcommittee Ranking Member Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) among other bipartisan co-sponsors. That legislation prohibits products generally from non-market economies from entering the U.S. under the de minimis threshold.

While Congress may consider further trade legislation this year, the pressure by Congress may also pressure the Biden Administration to act of its own accord.

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