An investigation into alleged labor exploitation connected with the Fuyao Glass America plant in Ohio has caught the attention of the House Appropriations Committee. Some committee members expressed concern about the situation in a report attached to the 2025-2026 Appropriations Act.
As of Nov. 24, the committee is reviewing the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for the 2026 financial year. Congressperson Hal Rogers (Kentucky-R) submitted a report on behalf of the committee directing how to use the money allotted by the act. The report describes the investigation in Ohio, though it does not directly name Fuyao.
The House of Representatives appropriations committee called for the Department of Justice to “prioritize the investigation and prosecution” of labor trafficking entities with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party. (Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Justice headquarters photographed by Coolcaeser on Wikimedia Commons.)
“The committee is concerned about labor trafficking, forced labor and unlawful employment practices involving smuggled or undocumented labor in the stream of commerce of the U.S. auto parts and glass manufacturing industries, particularly relating to corporate entities affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and their affiliated companies,” the report says.
Several federal agencies were investigating potential financial crimes and labor exploitation for six years before conducting a raid in and around Moraine, Ohio, on July 26, 2024. The agencies raided the local Fuyao Glass America plant and multiple other businesses and residences.
A civil forfeiture complaint filed by federal prosecutors on April 2, 2025, claimed that several business owners from China had relocated to Ohio and formed a partnership. These individuals “created dozens of entities that facilitate the harboring, transportation and employment of illegal aliens [from Mexico, Guatemala and China] at various factories, and have developed a sophisticated money laundering organization,” the complaint alleges. The Appropriations Committee claims these entities also have ties to the CCP.
The civil forfeiture complaint alleges that Fuyao paid approximately $126 million to these entities, which in turn supplied the Moraine factory with illegal immigrant workers. A number of federal entities are on record saying Fuyao itself is not under investigation.
In its report, the House Appropriations Committee “encourages the [Department of Justice] to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of CCP-affiliated companies engaged in such activities” connected with the automotive glass manufacturing industry.
Fuyao “only recently [became] aware of this House appropriation bill,” community relations manager Lei Shi told local news outlet Dayton Daily News.
“[Fuyao Glass America] has always regarded compliance as a fundamental principle,” she said. “All employees are hired in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, and we require our suppliers — through contractual obligations — to operate in full compliance with established standards.”
The Appropriations Committee instructs the DOJ to submit a report “outlining investigative and prosecutorial steps taken against [these labor trafficking entities] within 120 days of the appropriations act being enacted. The report must also include a “detailed breakdown” of the investigation costs.
