ATEST Questions for Trump Cabinet Confirmation Hearings

Several key Trump cabinet nominees will appear on Capitol Hill this week 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.

Secretary of State Nominee Marco Rubio

  • This is the 25th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, a bill you’ve supported and whose reauthorizations you’ve co-sponsored. What will you do as Secretary of State to ensure American leadership is preserved through the many provisions of the Act that fight both labor and sex trafficking overseas – including forced labor digital scam operations that target Americans?
  • The Secretary of State coordinates America’s whole-of-government approach to combating trafficking as the convener of the President’s Interagency Task Force on Human Trafficking and the Senior Policy Operating Group – as well as overseeing the involvement of trafficking survivors through the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. How will you approach your responsibilities to ensure all cabinet agencies are taking adequate and coordinated efforts to fight both labor and sex trafficking, and to institutionalize the involvement of trafficking survivors in federal programs?
  • You have been a leading proponent of preventing the importation of goods tainted by forced labor in China, goods that ultimately undercut American businesses. Can you commit to a similar level of advocacy against forced labor in other countries where forced labor is known to exist, tainting the supply chain of goods headed to U.S. consumers?

Attorney General Nominee Pam Bondi

  • The Human Trafficking Institute reports that the Justice Department overwhelmingly focuses on prosecuting sex trafficking (98% of cases) and not labor trafficking (2% of cases). Labor trafficking is more than a violation of fundamental human rights; it also creates an unfair business environment where owners of American factories, farms, construction companies and other establishments illegally undercut competitors who obey the law. What will you do as Attorney General to create a more balanced prosecutorial approach?
  • There is currently no federal statute for survivors of trafficking to clear their criminal records of charges or convictions they received because of their trafficking. Would you support an effort in which a pathway for federal criminal record relief was made available to trafficking survivors?

Secretary of Homeland Security Nominee Kristi Noem

  • The Department of Homeland Security coordinates interagency efforts to prevent the importation of goods tainted by forced labor into the U.S., goods that undercut American businesses. The rollout of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act has interdicted a significant number of tainted shipments from China, but this has diverted energy from stopping tainted goods from other countries through use of Withhold Release Order authority under the Tariff Act. At the moment, America has a largely open border for tainted products from much of the world. What will you do as Secretary to correct this imbalance?
  • What role will the Department of Homeland Security play in arresting and prosecuting owners of American factories, farms, construction companies and other businesses who are found to be trafficking undocumented immigrants? With increased immigration enforcement, will you increase enforcement of America’s anti-trafficking laws when forced labor is uncovered during immigration enforcement activities?
  • Can you commit that there will be no forced labor inside America’s immigration detention facilities? What actions will you take to prevent forced labor, and to correct forced labor if it is found?
  • Many individuals seeking asylum in the U.S. are fleeing human trafficking in their country of origin, including unaccompanied minors. What steps will you take as Secretary to ensure that all asylum seekers are fully screened for human trafficking and victims are granted protection in the U.S. instead of being returned to their traffickers?

Office of Management and Budget Director Nominee Russell Vought

  • Will you recommend that the Trump Administration increase or decrease U.S. government spending to combat forced labor and human trafficking, including programs that protect American businesses by preventing the importation of foreign goods tainted by forced labor, and why?
  • Will you recommend that the Trump Administration close loopholes in federal procurement regulations and increase transparency for Congress and the public to ensure that goods tainted by forced labor and human trafficking are not purchased with U.S. tax dollars?
  • Will you promote a whole-of-government approach to combating forced labor and human trafficking by supporting programs at key agencies – such as the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, State, Justice, Homeland Security, Education, and USAID – ensuring that funding supports comprehensive victim services and advances prevention by addressing root causes?

ATEST will develop and publish additional questions for other key cabinet nominees in advance of their Senate confirmation hearings. We’ll 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.

ATEST

The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) is a U.S. based coalition that advocates for solutions to prevent and end all forms of human trafficking and modern slavery around the world.

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