(USNewsMag.com) – On Sept. 29, 10 members of the House Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to the Biden administration urging laws that prevent goods that are manufactured using forced labor from entering American ports to be fully enforced.
In its letter to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Troy Miller, the bipartisan group urged the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) to be fully enforced.
Led by Republican West Virginia Rep. Carol Miller, the letter was also signed by Alabama Rep. Terri Sewell, California Rep. Michelle Steel, Florida Rep. Greg Steube, New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell, New York Rep. Claudia Tenney, Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup, Texas Rep. Jodey Arrington, Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne, and Utah Rep. Blake Moore
The letter cited concerns that the Biden Administration might be allowing solar panels made with Chinese polysilicon into the United States despite the fact that doing so would be in violation of the labor law.
The letter included remarks the House Ways and Means Committee received that were made by an executive with the Chinese solar panel manufacturer. During a call with investors, the executive made the suggestion that the solar industry had identified ports in the United States that were easier to get the Chinese-made solar panels through.
The letter stated that any company skirting the UFLPA should be “stopped and held accountable.” It continued that “goods tainted with forced labor” can’t be allowed to enter the United States.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio first introduced the UFLPA in 2021, which prevents the United States from allowing in goods that are made by Uyghur forced labor. It went into effect in June 2022 after President Joe Biden signed it into law. The legislation allows for a list of Chinese entities that have been linked to forced labor to be maintained by the CBP as well as the Department of Homeland Security.
There are currently 27 Chinese companies that are affected by the UFLPA.
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