ICYMI: Stauber Efforts to Prevent Child Labor No Longer Supported by Democrats

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, during a full markup of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's portion of Speaker Pelosi's partisan $3.5 trillion reconciliation package, the Democrat majority opposed all Republican amendments, including Congressman Pete Stauber's (MN-08) amendment to ensure purchased green energy technology is not made with minerals sourced by child slave labor in foreign countries.

Of his amendment, Congressman Stauber stated, "The unfortunate truth is that many of the technologies that Americans enjoy today are made with minerals sourced by child slaves working in Chinese-run mines in the Congo.It was discouraging to see my Democrat colleagues block my attempt to hold our nation to a higher standard and empower American workers to responsibly source these resources instead. Ending child labor across the globe should be an easy cause to get behind, so the fact that my Democrat colleagues blocked my anti-child labor amendment demonstrates just how partisan they have become."

Specifically, Stauber's amendment would have prohibited funding from being used to purchase or import products containing minerals produced, sourced, or mined with forced child labor.

This amendment would also mandate the Secretary of Commerce to certify that any electric vehicles, changing stations, solar panels or other components of infrastructure do not contain minerals sourced with forced child labor.

Background:

Last Congress, when Stauber introduced a similar amendment during a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee markup, over a dozen Democrats on the committee supported it. Despite this bipartisan support, his amendment was stripped from the final bill by Democrat leadership before coming to the House Floor for consideration. Read more about this HERE.

A few months ago, during a full Transportation and Infrastructure Committee markup on Speaker Pelosi's purely partisan surface transportation legislation, committee Democrats blocked a similar Stauber amendment that would help end U.S. reliance on child labor. Learn more HERE.

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