Subramanyam Leads Re-Introduction of Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on International Financial Support for Forced Labor

Washington, DC - Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10) has re-introduced the No Funds for Forced Labor Act (H.R. 7516), a bipartisan, bicameral bill to prevent the ability for international financial institutions (IFIs) from providing support to any projects that risk using forced labor. This legislation encourages the opposition of IFI loans that pose significant risk of using forced labor, or occur in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), where a significant amount of evidence has shown a forced labor system of Uyghurs and ethnic minorities by the Chinese government.

"U.S. taxpayer dollars have no business propping up companies that exploit forced labor," said Rep. Subramanyam. "It is the responsibility of Congress to prevent our taxpayer funded resources from supporting forced labor systems, including state-influenced entities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. I am grateful to my predecessor Jennifer Wexton for her work last Congress to push this forward. I am also grateful to Chairman Moolenaar and Reps. Beyer (VA), Fitzpatrick (PA), Kim (CA), Krishnamoorthi (IL), McGovern (MA), Norton, and Nunn (IA) for joining me in this important effort to build on the great bipartisan work Congress has done to root out forced labor from our supply chains and work towards putting an end to this brutal practice."

"The United States cannot condemn forced labor abroad while allowing American taxpayer dollars to support it in practice. No international loan backed by the United States should be tied to slave labor or state-sponsored abuses in Xinjiang. This bipartisan legislation ensures we use our leverage at international financial institutions to block those projects and demand real accountability," said Rep. Zach Nunn (IA-03).

A 2022 report released by the Atlantic Council found that the International Financial Corporation (IFC), the private lending body of the World Bank, has provided at least $486 million in financing to companies in Xinjiang as part of the organization's work to uplift the private sector in developing countries. The IFC, and other international financial institutions like it, receive funding from governments around the world, including U.S. taxpayer dollars. Through these IFI investments, American taxpayer dollars are benefitting companies who are participants in the Chinese government's brutal forced labor of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities.

"Campaign for Uyghurs strongly supports the No Funds for Forced Labor Act, which would prevent U.S.-backed international financial institutions from funding projects at significant risk of modern slavery. This legislation complements the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act by ensuring that U.S. funding does not indirectly enable the CCP's state-imposed forced labor, thereby closing a critical gap in efforts to combat such exploitation. It breaks my heart that my sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, who has been unjustly imprisoned by the CCP for seven and a half years, could be one of the victims of this modern slavery. We commend Representative Subramanyam's leadership and urge Congress to pass this bill without delay," said Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs and Chairwoman of the World Uyghur Congress Executive Committee.

"The U.S. should make it a priority to keep goods made with Uyghur forced labor out of global supply chains. By ensuring American tax dollars are not funneled through international institutions into abusive projects, Congressman Subramanyam's bill sends a strong message against the CCP's horrific human rights abuses," added Omer Kanat, Executive Director, Uyghur Human Rights Project.

Subramanyam is a member of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China where he monitors the status of human rights and the rule of law in China. Earlier this year, Subramanyam introduced the bipartisan Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act to designate Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in XUAR as priority refugees and expedite their ability to apply for asylum in the United States.