The Senate Finance Committee is probing eight auto manufacturers over their use of materials sourced from forced labor in China's Xinjiang region in their supply chains.
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., sent letters on Thursday to the eight companies after a report surfaced earlier this month. The report detailed researchers at the U.K.'s Sheffield Hallam University suggesting "massive and expanding links" between Western manufacturers and forced labor in Xinjiang.
The U.S. alleged China committed atrocities against Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic minority native to the region. It has also accused China of human rights abuses and genocide, which the Chinese government denies.
One year ago, President Joe Biden signed a law that banned imports of goods from the Xinjiang region unless individuals or companies demonstrated items were made without forced labor.
"Unless due diligence confirms that components are not linked to forced labor, automakers cannot and should not sell cars in the United States that include components mined or produced in Xinjiang," Wyden wrote in the letters. "The United States considers the Chinese government's brutal oppression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang an 'ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity.'
"I recognize automobiles contain numerous parts sourced across the world and are subject to complex supply chains," Wyden added. "However, this recognition cannot cause the United States to compromise its fundamental commitment to upholding human rights and U.S. law."
Letters were sent to Honda, Ford, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Stellantis N.V.
Wyden requested that these companies conduct their own supply chain mapping to determine if the source was linked to Xinjiang, if they have terminated any relationships with these suppliers or if U.S. Customs and Border Protection has ever taken action against goods over forced labor.
Wyden said the companies' responses would help the committee determine the effectiveness of the U.S. efforts to combat forced labor and China's human rights abuses.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.