In a letter to the president, senators Tammy Baldwin, Elissa Slotkin and Chuck Schumer urged the administration to take a tougher stance, including designating firms such as BYD as “military-connected entities”News.az reports, citing ABC News.
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Their warning follows earlier remarks by Mr Trump indicating openness to Chinese investment in US manufacturing.
“If they want to come in and build a plant and hire you and your neighbors, that’s great,” he said, suggesting a potential shift in policy.
Security and economic concerns
The senators argued that permitting Chinese automakers to produce vehicles domestically could give them a significant economic edge over US companies while raising serious security concerns.
They said such a move could create “an insurmountable economic advantage” and warned of long-term job losses outweighing any short-term gains from new factories.
The letter also called for immediate action to formally classify Chinese carmakers as linked to China’s military, citing previous concerns raised about BYD.
Policy tensions in Washington
Currently, Chinese electric vehicles are effectively barred from the US market due to cybersecurity regulations that restrict their import and sale.
However, Mr Trump’s comments have fuelled debate in Washington about whether local production by Chinese firms could bypass those restrictions.
In response to the senators’ concerns, the White House said it remained committed to attracting investment without compromising national security.
“Any notion that we would ever compromise our national security to do so is baseless and false,” a spokesperson said.
Calls for stricter legislation
Separately, Republican Senator Bernie Moreno has said he plans to introduce legislation aimed at ensuring Chinese vehicles cannot enter the US market under any circumstances, including through partnerships or domestic production.
The issue highlights growing bipartisan unease over China’s role in advanced industries, particularly in sectors such as electric vehicles where technology, data, and infrastructure are closely intertwined.
As the debate continues, the question of how to balance economic openness with national security is likely to remain a central challenge for US policymakers.
