[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 74 (Monday, May 5, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1833-H1834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NO DOLLARS TO UYGHUR FORCED LABOR ACT
Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 1724) to prohibit the use of funds supporting any activities
within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic
of China, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1724
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``No Dollars to Uyghur Forced
Labor Act''.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS SUPPORTING ANY ACTIVITIES
WITHIN THE XINJIANG UYGHUR AUTONOMOUS REGION OF
THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.
(a) In General.--No funds authorized to be appropriated to
the Department of State or the United States Agency for
International Development may be used to develop, design,
plan, promulgate, implement, or execute a policy, program, or
contract that knowingly uses goods, wares, articles, or
merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in
part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's
Republic of China or produced by a covered entity, unless
such activity is specifically authorized pursuant to
subsection (b).
(b) Specific Authorization.--The Secretary of State may
specifically authorize an activity otherwise prohibited by
subsection (a) if--
(1) the Secretary--
(A) obtains in writing an assurance from the relevant
program partner, implementor, or contractor that such
partner, implementor, or contractor--
(i) will not use goods, wares, articles, or merchandise
mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the PRC with respect to
the program; and
(ii) will develop a system to ensure compliance with the
requirements in subsection (a); and
(B) provides notice to the Chair and Ranking Member of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives
and the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate not later than 15 days before
authorizing the activity; and
(2) the activity is not otherwise prohibited.
(c) Report.--The Secretary of State shall submit to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report
on an annual basis for three years that describes--
(1) all activities prohibited by subsection (a) that were
carried out in violation of such prohibition and not
specifically authorized pursuant to subsection (b) in the
previous year;
(2) any challenges in enforcing the requirements of this
section; and
(3) a plan to improve enforcement of the requirements of
this section.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``covered entity'' means an entity listed
pursuant to clause (i), (ii), (iv), or (v) of section
2(d)(2)(B) of Public Law 117-78 (135 Stat. 1527) under the
strategy developed by section 2(c) of such Public Law 117-78.
(2) The term ``forced labor'' has the meaning given that
term in section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C.
1307).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Mast) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Olszewski) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
General Leave
Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the No Dollars to
Uyghur Forced Labor Act.
The Chinese Communist Party is carrying out a campaign of genocide
against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
The evidence, documented by human rights organizations, journalists,
and survivors, is overwhelming: over a million people detained,
families torn apart, entire communities forced into labor in factories
that feed global supply chains. Some of those goods end up right here
in the United States on our shelves and in our homes.
The No Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act makes one principle clear:
Not a single American taxpayer dollar should be used to purchase goods,
raw materials, or services tainted by Uyghur forced labor.
It ensures that Federal contracts, programs, and policies only go to
companies that can certify their supply chains are free from this
abuse.
American consumers should not be complicit in human rights
violations. American businesses should not profit from forced labor,
and our government, our tax dollars, must never enable oppression.
Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. OLSZEWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1724, the No Dollars to Uyghur
Forced Labor Act.
Congress has a history of bipartisan cooperation to call out
Beijing's genocide and human rights abuses against Uyghurs and members
of other minority groups in Xinjiang.
We passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which was signed
into law by President Biden in 2021, but our work isn't done because
Beijing's repression isn't done.
Just as was done in the 118th Congress, today we should pass H.R.
1724.
[[Page H1834]]
This bill prohibits the State Department and USAID from funding
grants or contracts with companies or organizations that import
products mined, produced, or manufactured in Xinjiang. The intention of
this bill is to make sure that the standards we use at home when it
comes to forced labor also apply to American activities abroad.
I commend Representative Moran for his sustained focus on forced
labor and fully endorse the spirit of his bill.
Given that this bill is being taken directly to the floor without the
benefit of feedback from the State Department however, I ask that we
work with our Senate colleagues and the administration to ensure that
it is ultimately implemented in a way that is both workable and does
not inadvertently impede critical State Department operations and
programming.
This bill is especially necessary because the Trump administration's
actions have gutted U.S. leadership on these issues. Thus far, the
administration has cut funding for programs that support human rights
in the China context, even though Congress explicitly authorized and
appropriated such funding via statute.
We know the administration has cut at least $50 million for projects
that focused on addressing Beijing's human rights abuses. This includes
programs that were empowering Chinese advocates and diaspora groups to
combat transnational repression, monitoring forced labor goods in
global supply chains, and promoting religious freedoms.
The administration is also trying to shutter Radio Free Asia as we
speak, despite the fact that Radio Free Asia helped break the story
about the PRC's program of detention, reeducation, and forced labor in
Xinjiang. The administration's opposition to Uyghur resettlement in the
United States is hypocritical at best and morally reprehensible at
worst.
This bill is a good step for Congress to take, but President Trump is
squandering American leadership and taking us backward.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this
measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Moran), the sponsor of this legislation and a former committee
member.
Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the No
Dollars to Uyghur Forced Labor Act.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical
legislation that would prohibit United States State Department
contracts with companies tied to forced labor in the Xinjiang region of
China.
Our bill would ensure that U.S. funds are not used to finance
projects in partnership with companies or organizations that import
products mined or manufactured in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region
of the People's Republic of China.
Many basic goods that we consider to be part of our everyday lives as
Americans are produced in Xinjiang, including textiles, bricks, cotton,
and polysilicon.
As home to the majority of China's cotton, coal, and natural gas
reserves, and representing one-sixth of China's land mass, the Xinjiang
region is central to China's economy.
It is considered to be the core hub for China's Belt and Road
Initiative, which is China's primary tool to exert economic influence
across the globe.
China's economy relies in large part on Xinjiang, yet behind its
industries lie a horrifying reality: mass detention, forced labor, and
brutal oppression of the people who live there.
The CCP is oppressing the Uyghur people and other ethnic minorities
by detaining them in what they call reeducation centers for forced
labor in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China.
{time} 1615
Slavery in any form is morally repugnant. America, known on the
international stage as a beacon of freedom and liberty, must not be
complicit in the Chinese Communist Party's genocide and oppression of
the Uyghur people.
The United States must push back on China not only in our words but
through our actions. Failing to do so enables the CCP to grow in
strength and exert its malign influence over the world. It is past time
we enforce accountability against our greatest adversary. The U.S. must
act decisively against the companies that profit from these abuses and
take a firm stand against totalitarian regimes.
The CCP asserts its control over the Uyghur people through threats,
intimidation, confinement, and physical and emotional abuse. Failing to
confront China empowers gross human rights abuses and allows for the
spread of such atrocities to be determined by the CCP.
Our legislation will ensure that our State Department plays no part
in the forced slave labor of the Uyghur people. America must continue
to lead with strength and morality on the world stage and refuse to
fund these brutal tactics and cruelty.
Passing this critical legislation is the first step. I urge my
colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Mr. OLSZEWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume
for the purpose of closing.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1724 calls on the State Department and USAID to
verify they are not funding any programs or projects that unwittingly
use goods or materials made using forced labor in Xinjiang. This is a
preventative measure to ensure that America's diplomacy, development,
and economic engagement continue to stay true to America's values. I
hope my colleagues will join me and support this bill. I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
Mr. Speaker, this bill, this debate, and previous bills send a clear
message to the Chinese Communist Party and to the world, the United
States does not turn a blind eye to China's atrocities. I thank the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Moran) for his leadership.
We must pass this bill and say with one voice: Not one more dollar.
I urge my colleagues to pass this bill, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 1724, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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