The $30 million toe in the water

President Trump's manufacturing agenda recognized the reality of America's addiction to Chinese supply chains. However, corporate America needs to address the issue, not circumvent it.

The COVID pandemic exposed the fragility of the arrangement, and the real question is whether the movement will remain long-term if tariffs are removed.

Working families paid for America's addiction to Chinese supply chains.. They paid in shuttered factories, lost wages, and empty store shelves during a pandemic that exposed the fragility of the arrangement.

Manufacturing capactiy hollowed out

For years,political leaders in both parties let American industry hollow itself out. Manufacturing capacity was offshored to China. Strategic industries eagerly followed the cheap labor honey trap.

American workers lost leverage too. Families grew more vulnerable to economic shocks they had no power to prevent.

The COVID pandemic did not create that fragility, rather it exposed the depth of the problem.

De-risking or concealing the problem?

General Motors will begin assembling the Chevrolet Groove and Aveo in Mexico rather than importing them directly from China. Sounds like progress, but it's not.

Reuters also reported that GM will continue producing parts for those vehicles in China. Moving final assembly across a border while preserving the underlying Chinese supply chain is not de-risking. It's simply concealing the problem.

Apple is doing the same thing. Tim Cook has said most iPhones sold in the United States will soon come from India. That's a nice line, but it's divorced from reality.

Dependency on the China honey trap remains

Apple's Chinese suppliers are not being replaced.. They are being rebranded as partners in a global supply chain that still runs through Beijing.

Employee work at a Foxconn factory on September 4, 2021, in Zhongmu County , Zhengzhou City, Henan Province of China. GM is moving the car. Apple is moving the final step.

But dependency on the China honey trap remains.

A call to action

The economic structure underneath the talking points has largely stayed the same.. Supply chains are not an abstract policy issue. They are a kitchen-table issue.

When critical manufacturing concentrates overseas, the United States loses economic and geopolitical leverage.

American prosperity means onshoring manufacturing here at home .

At the Coalition for Affordability and Prosperity, we believe economic strength and national resilience are intertwined.

Policies that rebuild American manufacturing, secure critical supply chains, and reduce dependence on China will produce a stronger economy for working families.