Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman, Ms. Wexton, for bringing this legislation before the House.

To be very candid with you, upon reviewing the materials that have been submitted to me, I was absolutely amazed that this kind of activity is taking place.

Forced labor. Is that what they are calling it now when you force people to work, when you separate families, when you have persons denounce their religion, when you put them in reeducation centers? Is that what this is all about, forced labor?

I have a history that requires me to speak up and speak out on these issues. Forced labor is how I got to this country. If you understand my history, you have to understand why I am absolutely, totally, and completely opposed to what is happening to the Uyghurs. This is unconscionable, and it is unacceptable.

I am proud to be a person who will strongly recommend to my colleagues that we not allow this to continue. It is one thing to have the forced labor, and then to compound it by having American companies benefit from the forced labor, that is sinful. It is criminal in international courts, but it is also just sinful that American companies would participate in this kind of activity.

I think this notion that they should be audited, their supply chains should be audited, is more than reasonable. Why would we not want to know whether American companies are participating in this kind of behavior? We need to know.

How do we find out? Audit the supply chain. It just makes sense that we would do this.

I don't understand how we can oppose trying to find out if this kind of activity is being engaged in by American companies.

Finally, this: I don't understand how we consistently find people opposed to making inquiries about the suffering of other people. At some point, the people who are suffering have to be given some opportunity to have their suffering addressed. And it doesn't matter where they are in the world. Suffering has to be addressed. We cannot allow it to happen there because, if we do, it can happen here.

I am absolutely supportive of H.R. 6270, and I strongly encourage my colleagues to help us end the suffering of the Uyghur people.

I just spoke to a constituent who is of Chinese ancestry who said to me that she believes all of this to be true.

I just don't understand how we can oppose this piece of legislation, and I strongly urge my colleagues to support it.

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