Response to Washington Post Editorial
Recently, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, wrote a letter regarding a June 3 editorial from The Washington Post. The newspaper’s editorial board expressed disapproval of President Trump and Ambassador Greer’s efforts to use trade enforcement tools against goods produced with forced labor, despite calling forced labor “an abhorrent practice.” It seemed the board had concerns over the president’s use of Section 301 investigations, which aim to identify and address unfair trading practices, including imposing tariffs on certain economies.
In his letter, Greer critiques the Post’s stance, suggesting that only the editorial board could advocate for a hands-off approach to modern slavery. He noted that the board’s opposition stems largely from its distaste for the President. U.S. law has long prohibited importing goods made with forced labor, a rule that has been in place for nearly a century.
Greer highlights that no other country has established and enforced similar laws effectively, but President Trump is making strides in this area. During his first term, he successfully encouraged Mexico and Canada to implement bans on the import of forced labor goods. As he began his second term, he urged nations to include these bans as fundamental components of each Reciprocal Trade Agreement, with nine countries committing to this effort so far.
Moreover, the U.S. must ensure these commitments are upheld while leveraging its position to fight against slavery in global supply chains. Greer pointed out that American companies and workers face significant compliance costs to eliminate forced labor, while many countries, including those that promote high ethical standards, fail to stop such practices at their borders. For instance, the European Union’s new law to ban trade in goods produced by forced labor won’t take effect until 2027, and Canada, despite having related legislation, hasn’t effectively stopped numerous shipments of forced labor goods.
While the Editorial Board may hesitate to hold foreign nations accountable for ignoring forced labor, Greer emphasizes that under President Trump, the U.S. will not accept forced labor in global supply chains.
