Democratic Senators Give Support for FTC Revision to 'Made in USA' Labeling Rules
Four Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, say they support proposed rules from the Federal Trade Commission to require online and email assertions that products were made in the U.S. to follow the same standards as labels on the products themselves (see 2006230049). Brown, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Connecticut's two senators -- Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal -- wrote in comments to the FTC: “We have long pushed the Commission to utilize all of its existing authority to establish and enforce Made in USA standards, and we strongly support the Commission’s initiation of a [notice of proposed rulemaking] process. We ask that any final rule and its implementation cover all online Made in USA claims, as well as physical labels, and emphasize the Commission’s authority to apply civil penalties to violators.”
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They noted that they want the final rule to state the FTC is willing to apply civil penalties for Made in USA infractions, as they also said last year, because they believe violation letters with no monetary penalty aren't a deterrent (see 1910290026). “We understand that the Commission may want to preserve its discretion to seek appropriate enforcement measures in each case. We believe, however, that a finalized rule should make clear to Made in USA violators that they may face civil penalties, particularly in cases of repeat offenders or egregious deception,” the lawmakers said. “Doing so will send a clear signal to consumers and businesses that the Commission intends to fully enforce Made in USA labeling standards.”