President Trump issued March 13 an executive order to further combat fraudulent “Made in America” claims by foreign manufacturers and sellers.
The Federal Trade Commission’s “Made in USA” rule prohibits marketers from labeling products as “Made in USA” unless (1) the final assembly or processing, and all significant processing that goes into the products, occur in the U.S. and (2) all or virtually all ingredients or components of the products are made and sourced in the U.S. The rule also requires all “Made in USA” labels appearing in mail order catalogs to be truthful and non-misleading.
However, the EO claims (without citing any evidence) that “in the modern digital marketplace, foreign manufacturers and sellers represent that their products are made in the United States … when, in fact, those products are largely produced and manufactured in other countries.”
In response, the EO:
- directs the FTC to prioritize enforcement actions against sellers and manufacturers that falsely claim their products are “Made in America” or make similar U.S.-origin claims in violation of existing law;
- directs the FTC to consider issuing proposed regulations providing that the failure of an online marketplace to establish procedures for verifying country-of-origin claims may constitute an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act;
- directs all agencies with country-of-origin labeling oversight, in consultation with the FTC, to consider new regulations and consistent guidance promoting voluntary country-of-origin labeling for products made or manufactured in the U.S.; and
- requires agencies overseeing government-wide acquisition contracts and schedules to periodically review and verify American-origin claims for products sold to the federal government, remove misrepresented products from procurement, and refer violators to the Department of Justice for False Claims Act actions.
Copyright © 2026 Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.; WorldTrade Interactive, Inc. All rights reserved.