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Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Congressman John Moolenaar (R-MI) today led a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urging the Department of Commerce to prohibit the import of products containing Chinese-origin or Chinese-linked polysilicon, or otherwise impose a prohibitively high tariff on these products, in the interest of protecting American semiconductor production. 

“As you know, polysilicon is an essential input for the production of microprocessors, artificial intelligence chips, memory and power devices, and other applications. There is no substitute for semiconductor-grade polysilicon in the manufacture of silicon wafers, which are the precursor to semiconductor chips,” the lawmakers write. “The continued erosion of domestic polysilicon production capacity poses a direct risk to the U.S. semiconductor industry and, by extension, to our leadership in advanced technology and defense systems.”

“Rather than competing in a free and fair market, U.S. polysilicon producers face an existential threat from China’s unfair trade practices. Chinese polysilicon is heavily subsidized, with production capacity more than double total annual global production,” the lawmakers continue. “This means Chinese producers are flooding the market with polysilicon at unsustainable prices, driving American producers out of business.  Chinese polysilicon prices have collapsed to an artificially low $4.70/kg, far below the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) minimum sustainable price of $21/kg.  Indeed, Chinese polysilicon producers rely on forced labor and operate with a carbon footprint that is roughly double that of U.S. producers.  If these predatory practices are left unaddressed, the survival of U.S. polysilicon producers—and our access to a reliable domestic supply—will be in jeopardy.”

“China is actively looking to solidify its dominance of the upstream polysilicon supply chain, which threatens our ability to produce enough polysilicon to meet the needs of our semiconductor manufacturers and others, like solar,” the lawmakers conclude. “Therefore, we respectfully request that Commerce considers taking decisive action to restore fair market competition. Thank you for your attention to this important matter and we look forward to working with you in a bipartisan manner to determine the right solutions for this growing national security threat.”

The letter is also signed by Representatives Tim Walberg, Haley Stevens, Hillary Scholten, Lisa McClain, Shri Thanedar, Bill Huizenga, Kristen McDonald Rivet, Jack Bergman, Tom Barrett, Ro Khanna, Chuck Fleischmann, and Zach Nunn. 

View the full text of the letter here.