Ford Motor said Monday it has paused work on a $3.5 billion battery plant in Michigan, citing concerns about its ability to competitively operate the plant.

Republicans in Congress have been probing Ford's battery plant in Michigan using technology from CATL, the world's largest battery maker.

"We are pausing work and limiting spending on construction on the Marshall project until we’re confident about our ability to competitively operate the plant," Ford said Monday. "We haven’t made any final decision about the planned investment there."

(Reporting by David Shepardson)