In 2016, as now-President Donald Trump railed against the outsourcing of U.S. manufacturing jobs, the Federal Trade Commission went on a tear against “Made in USA” claims that companies could not justify—at least in the eyes of the agency's staff.

Shinola, the Detroit-based watchmaker that counts former President Barack Obama as a fan, was told to drop its “Where American is Made” slogan because its materials are sourced overseas. That company and 28 others were cited for promoting products as “Made in USA.” without meeting the FTC's standard that such items be “all or virtually all” made in the United States. In each of those cases, the FTC stopped short of bringing the matter to the commission for an enforcement action, electing to instead issue a “closing letter” after companies agreed to change their labeling.

A year later, the FTC appears to have throttled down somewhat. Through the first half of 2017, the agency's staff have sent 11 similar closing letters over supposedly unsupported “Made in USA” claims.