WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two top Republican lawmakers on Wednesday asked the U.S. Defense Department to add Chinese battery maker CATL to a restricted list of companies allegedly working with Beijing's military.

Companies added to the list cannot receive U.S. military contracts. Senator Marco Rubio, the vice chair of the Intelligence Committee and Representative John Moolenaar who chairs the House Select Committee on China, asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to immediately place CATL on the list saying "it would also send a powerful signal to U.S. companies who are currently weighing partnerships with CATL."