Rubio and Merkley Introduce “No Funds for Forced Labor Act” to Strengthen Efforts Against Uyghur Forced Labor

U.S. Senators Rubio and Merkley Introduce Bipartisan “No Funds for Forced Labor Act” to Block U.S. Funding for Projects Tied to Uyghur Forced Labor

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have introduced the No Funds for Forced Labor Act, aiming to block U.S. funding for international projects using forced labor, particularly in China’s Xinjiang region. The bill requires the U.S. Treasury to oppose such projects through international financial institutions. This initiative builds on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act to prevent U.S. complicity in human rights abuses. Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA).

Washington, D.C. — In September 2024, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the No Funds for Forced Labor Act (S.5096), a bipartisan bill aimed at preventing U.S. taxpayer dollars from supporting international projects that involve or risk forced labor—particularly in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (East Turkistan).

Introduced on September 18, 2024, and referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the legislation directs the Secretary of the Treasury to instruct U.S. Executive Directors at international financial institutions (such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and others) to advocate against approving or funding any projects that use forced labor or are at high risk of doing so. This measure builds directly on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA, enacted in 2021), which prohibits the importation of goods produced with forced labor from East Turkistan and has targeted supply chains linked to Uyghur repression.

Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) as H.R.7125 earlier in the year (January 2024), reflecting cross-chamber support for strengthening U.S. policy against global forced labor.

In statements surrounding the introduction, the senators emphasized the bill’s focus on countering the Chinese government’s systematic use of forced labor as part of its repression of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in East Turkistan—widely documented through mass detentions, labor transfer programs, and coercive employment schemes since 2017. The legislation seeks to ensure the U.S. does not inadvertently finance such abuses through multilateral development banks and other institutions where the U.S. holds significant voting power.

Sources: U.S. Congress official records (congress.gov, bill S.5096 introduced September 18, 2024); Senator Jeff Merkley press release (September 19, 2024); contemporaneous reports from Reuters, Fashion Dive, Just Style, and other outlets (September 2024 coverage).