WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Bowling Green, and Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy Rodgers led a letter with their House colleagues to President Biden to call for a reversal of his recent tariff exemption for solar panels from certain Southeast Asian countries.

The tariff exemptions will increase U.S. dependency on Chinese supply chains and punish domestic manufacturers for abiding by U.S. trade rules and regulations.

“The Biden Administration continues to put American manufacturers last, with the latest example being their decision last week to exempt solar panels and components manufactured in Southeast Asia from tariffs,” Latta said. “This decision gives a pass to China, which uses slave labor and is currently under investigation by the Department of Commerce for circumventing American trade laws. It directly penalizes American workers, our domestic solar manufacturing industry, and increases the United States’ dependency on foreign nations for our energy needs. We must flip the switch on North American energy production instead of pursuing shortcuts to meet arbitrary environmental goals. The president should reverse course and allow commerce’s investigation to proceed.”