Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Republican lead, Mr. McCaul, for yielding. And Chairman Meeks, you are a force in the House gymnasium. You are a force on the House floor, and I appreciate you, brother.

The Chinese Communist Party does anything it can to get ahead of the United States, Mr. Speaker. It steals our intellectual property and uses Uyghur slave labor to manufacture products. It is threatening the freedom of folks from Taiwan to Hong Kong. Our government needs to stand up to them.

Today, we are acknowledging some of the Chinese Communist Party's horrible, horrible behaviors. It is not enough. Additional action is needed, Mr. Speaker.

The Chinese Communist Party knows there are no consequences for its behavior. That needs to change. It starts with the Biden administration. They need to do more than just finger-wagging to effectively counter China. This administration needs to make it clear to the Chinese Communist Party that bad behavior will be met with action, not empty words.

President Biden also needs to set aside his climate agenda when addressing the Chinese Communist Party. His administration tried to kill the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act because the Uyghurs mine the polysilicon for our solar panels. It is gross that this administration wants to let Uyghur slavery slide to advance its climate agenda.

I am glad we have these bills on the floor today. It is a start, but more work needs to be done. I hope in the Foreign Affairs Committee, both parties can work together and hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable, Mr. Speaker.

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