ICAR Strongly Condemns President Trump’s Decision to Eliminate Funding to Combat Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Trafficking

(March 27 | Washington, D.C.) A Trump Administration official at the Department of Labor has directed the agency’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) to immediately cancel approximately $500 million in grants. According to reports, the Administration is eliminating this funding for work to reduce and eliminate child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking around the world because it “lack[s] alignment with agency priorities and national security.” On social media, DOGE celebrated the move as canceling “‘America Last’ grants.”

The International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR) strongly condemns the decision to cut this funding.

The justification for canceling this funding is nonsensical. The elimination of forced labor, child labor, and human trafficking around the world is squarely within ILAB’s priorities, and during his last Administration, President Trump’s National Security Strategy specifically called out the role of human trafficking in undermining national security. As such, he regularly touted his commitment to the issue. Project 2025 explicitly makes the connection between a failure to meet minimum labor standards overseas and negative impacts on American workers. These are programs and issues that have been supported by both parties and by President Trump. Dismantling this funding does nothing to advance the Administration’s stated agenda when it comes to these issues.

Instead, the cuts in funding will do significant damage to the amazing work that ILAB’s grantees carry out around the world everyday, all in the furtherance of agency priorities, U.S. national security, and the benefit of American workers. That is to say nothing of the life-changing impact that these programs have for those who are trapped in conditions of child labor, forced labor, or human trafficking.

ICAR calls on the Secretary of Labor to reverse this decision, reinstate the funding, and stand up against child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking.