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Rep. Stevens on Wednesday
Michigan U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens on Wednesday expressed concerns that President Donald Trump might sell out the U.S. auto industry during his high-stakes trip to China in exchange for resolving the Iran war.
"I am concerned that he is going to cut a deal with China to make it so...China is backing us up in Iran and at the expense of our American auto industry," Stevens said in an interview with Deadline Detroit on the day Trump arrived in China for the two-day summit.
Stevens, who introduced legislation last year banning Chinese car imports into the U.S., explained she fears China, an ally of Iran, will help America resolve the messy war in exchange for an agreement allowing the U.S. to import low-cost Chinese cars.
She said the import of Chinese cars "would upend our auto industry and jobs and lead to increased costs for Michiganders and Americans all over."
She said China is able to sell cars at cheaper prices because of low labor costs and government subsidies. There are also concerns about China using surveillance equipment in the cars to gather information, as well as its history of stealing technology.
"They do not believe in intellectual property, they do not stand up to egregious labor and human rights abuses, and yes, they fully subsidize," she said.
Watch the full interview below.
