Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee defeated a Republican amendment on Sept. 14 that would have barred the use of federal funds to purchase any critical mineral needed for renewable energy products, such as electric vehicle (EV) batteries, that was mined with forced labor.
Introduced on the second day of the panel’s markup of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” spending program, the amendment by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) would have made it illegal to import or pay for products made with critical minerals mined by or assembled with forced labor.
