Yesterday, U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger led a bipartisan, bicameral effort calling on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to work together to enforce U.S. trade laws and protect the American cabinet and vanity industry from predatory trade practices by China.

Since 2015, imports of Chinese kitchen cabinets to the United States have increased by more than 75 percent. This increase has substantially harmed American cabinetmakers – an industry that supports hundreds of jobs in Virginian’s Seventh District and a quarter of a million jobs nationwide. In April 2019, the International Trade Commission (ITC) found reasonable evidence that the American cabinet industry was suffering due to Chinese companies receiving subsidies to sell kitchen cabinets in the United States below fair market value. Directly after this ruling, the U.S. Commerce Department imposed antidumping and countervailing duties on these Chinese imports.

Spanberger led 31 of her colleagues on a bipartisan letter to CBP and DOC, urging them to conduct a thorough investigation into claims that Chinese businesses may be engaged in tactics that allow them to circumvent the recently imposed duties meant to protect American companies. The letter asks CBP to investigate and, if the allegations are proven, to take swift action to address all attempts to skirt antidumping and countervailing duties and dump imported cabinets into the U.S. market at rock-bottom prices.

Spanberger led the letter alongside co-leads U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski (R-IN-02) and U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Mike Rounds (R-SD).

“Global trade is essential to U.S. businesses, but it must be conducted fairly. There is evidence that Chinese cabinet manufacturers have sought to undercut the U.S. industry by circumventing antidumping and countervailing duties,” said Spanberger. “Cabinet manufacturing supports hundreds of jobs in Central Virginia, and I’ll continue working to protect these jobs and hold China accountable for their noncompliance and circumventing of current trade laws.”

“On behalf of everyone at American Woodmark, we applaud and thank Representative Spanberger for her help in keeping jobs here in our home state of Virginia,” said Scott Culbreth, President and CEO, American Woodmark Corporation. “It has been a difficult time for domestic cabinet manufacturers, and the unwavering support Representative Spanberger has provided will continue to help us make strides toward a fair marketplace.”

In February 2020, Spanberger led 40 of her colleagues on a bipartisan letter to ITC, urging them to reexamine the import of Chinese kitchen cabinets and ensure all U.S. trade laws were fully enforced. This letter prompted the ITC to rule in favor of American cabinetmakers, and the U.S. Department of Commerce to place duties on Chinese cabinet imports.

In December 2019, Spanberger voted to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA), which was later signed into law by President Trump. During negotiations, Spanberger met with Central Virginia farmers and business owners and relayed their top concerns directly to Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and Deputy U.S. Trade Representative C.J. Mahoney. She worked consistently to build bipartisan support for a trade deal that will protect the rights of American businesses and workers, preserve relationships with key buyers, and level the playing field in competition against producers like China.

Click here to read the full letter.

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