Amazon wages quiet war to stop states from taking Chinese equipment out of government offices

Published May 14, 2025 2:07pm ET



Amazon is dispatching lobbyists to statehouses around the country in a fight against legislation that could see states ordering fewer goods from China, raising vague but strong objections to the bills, flooding legislators with dubious amendments to bog down the process, and straining their relationships with lawmakers.

“I’ve gone to Amazon and their lobbyists and said, ‘Look, you’re gonna have to bring me something, you’re gonna have to tell me, you know, why you’re uncomfortable,’” Republican state Rep. Mark Cochran told the Washington Examiner. “Because just saying ‘we don’t like it’ is really not sufficient.”

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