WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – On Wednesday, several U.S. House Committees sent another joint letter to Ford officials in the search for clarification on security concerns between the Ford Motor Company and its relationship with Chinese company, Contemporary Amperex Technology, Co. Limited (CATL). 

After sending letters last April, and July, U.S. Representative Jason Smith (R-Missouri), who serves as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, and U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin), Chairman of the Select Committee on China, co-wrote a letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley again on Sept. 27. 

MORE NEWS: Election Worries: Michigan’s Long Lines at Food Banks Signal Trouble for Democrats

In the letter, the Representatives, joined by U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington), Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce as a cosigner, reiterated concerns about the Ford BlueOval Battery Park plant, acknowledging its decision to halt construction. 

“While we are encouraged to see Ford take a small first step in reevaluating its deal with CATL, we are concerned that Ford has not been fully transparent with our requests for documents and information,” the letter said. 

The U.S. Representatives criticized the automaker because it “failed to produce any of the requested documents and communications,” including a copy of the licensing agreement between Ford and CATL – in English and Chinese, all documents and communications exchanged between Ford and CATL referring or relating to the licencing agreement in the original language, and all documents and communications between Ford and the Biden Administration referring or relating to the Ford/CATL licensing agreement and/or achievable tax credits.

“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 said. 

The letter from yesterday also established the Representatives’ request for a “fully responsive production on the licensing agreement,” and informed the automaker of a new deadline, which includes Ford CEO Jim Farley. 

“If Ford does not comply fully with all the Committees’ July 20, 2023, document requests and the September 1, 2023 Energy and Commerce document request no later than October 6, 2023, we will consider other means to obtain the documents, including compulsory process or insisting that you appear before Congress to publicly explain your failure to comply.” 

MORE NEWS: EDITORIAL: From Lansing to Traverse City – Political Signs Say More Than the Polls Ever Will

Furthermore, Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP, U.S. Representative Gallagher, shared one of the main concerns was that “Ford was going to use Inflation Reduction Act dollars to do a massive partnership with a Chinese battery company and thereby make that battery company more dominant,” he said on social media. 

Despite security concerns, and Ford announcing the pausing of construction for the BlueOval plant, the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) voted in favor of granting another $65 million to the Marshall Area Economic Development Alliance (MAEDA) to purchase land adjacent to the property. 

CEO for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Quentin Messer shared with the board the state’s confidence that the project would continue. 

“The opportunity here before us is to support infrastructure development that is independent of Ford,” Messer said to the board. “I can tell you that even up until earlier this week, we have gotten inquiries for companies that not only were looking at co-locating with Ford but if — in the highly, highly, highly unlikely chance Ford was not to continue — they would have sufficient wherewithal to continue on this site.”

On Wednesday, a number of Michigan legislators, including former service members, teachers, farmers, and health professionals gathered to share a bill package aimed at reducing foreign influence in a variety of Michigan industries, including the CCP. 

“This package does address threats from other foreign governments which have proven themselves to be adversarial to the United States,” Rep. Fink (R-Adams Township) said at a press conference, “Those governments include: North Korea, Iran, Syria, Russian, Venezuela, and Cuba.” 

Beyond addressing potential threats to sensitive technology and information, the bill package takes a comprehensive approach according to Rep. Fink which include bills “addressing sensitive land purchases, the subsidization of projects involving hostile powers, and the direct dissemination of anti-american ideology in our schools and universities, this package and this group of legislators are attempting to both demonstrate and combat the breadth of the threats that the regimes named in these bills pose.” 

The bills are expected to be introduced into the Michigan House this week.