ATEST Questions for More Trump Cabinet Confirmation Hearings
Two more key Trump cabinet nominees are appearing on Capitol Hill for Senate confirmation hearings. ATEST has provided committee members with important questions for the nominees about their plans to combat forced labor and human trafficking.
U.S. Trade Rperesentative Nominee Jamieson Greer
- How can the U.S. government use international trade agreements as mechanisms to combat forced labor trafficking overseas, and the subsequent importation of tainted goods into the U.S., competing with American-made goods?
- The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act implemented a new strategy to block imports from countries with a demonstrated record of forced labor – goods from a portion of China are considered tainted by default and blocked from import into the U.S. unless a company can prove otherwise. Do you foresee this strategy being employed by the U.S. with other countries in trade agreements?
Secterary of Labor Nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer
- The U.S. has strong prohibitions on the importation of goods made with forced labor. The U-.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), negotiated during President Trump’s first term in office, contains a forced labor import ban for all three countries. What role and support do you see the Labor Department playing in helping to strengthen collaboration, provide technical assistance, and build capacity to help our trading partners strengthen their enforcement of this agreement to ensure goods made with forced labor have no safe harbor in the USMCA zone?
- The International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) helps protect American businesses, workers, consumers and taxpayers by identifying products made overseas that are tainted by forced or child labor – goods that compete unfairly with American-made products if imported into the U.S. Can you commit that the work of ILAB will continue and expand under your tenure as Secretary and the bureau will not be shut down, suspended, defunded or otherwise impeded?
- The U.S. agriculture system relies on the labor of migrant workers, many of whom become victims of trafficking. What will you do to ensure that legal migrants on agricultural visas are safe and have their labor rights protected while in the U.S.?
- Wage and Hour investigators often encounter forced labor trafficking during workplace inspections. What will you do as Secretary to ensure that owners of American factories, farms, construction companies and other businesses are prosecuted for human trafficking, and not just labor law violations, if inspectors discover it? Can you commit that the work of the Wage and Hour Division will continue under your tenure as Secretary and the bureau will not be shut down, suspended, defunded or otherwise impeded?
ATEST will share any responses that we see from the nominees.
ATEST policy and budget recommendations to the incoming administration for key federal agencies that combat trafficking are in our in-depth memos to the Trump Transition team.
