The United States has launched wide-ranging trade investigations into more than 60 countries over concerns about forced labor in global supply chains. While framed as an anti-trafficking measure, the timing and scope suggest a more politically driven agenda: the probes could provide a legal pathway to reinstate tariffs struck down by the US Supreme Court.

Countries across Asia, Latin America, and Europe now face scrutiny, not just for domestic labor practices, but for how they police imports—raising concerns that forced labor frameworks are being co-opted to serve trade policy rather than protect workers.

Focus shifts to enforcement beyond borders 

The newly announced investigations fall under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. This law allows the US government to respond to unfair foreign practices with tariffs or other penalties. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer described the probes as a way to determine whether governments have failed to prevent goods made with forced labor from entering their markets.  

Greer stated in Sourcing Journal:  

For too long, American workers and firms have been forced to compete against foreign producers who may have an artificial cost advantage gained from the scourge of forced labor. These investigations will determine whether foreign governments have taken sufficient steps to prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labor… 

While superficially framed as a human rights measure, critics argue the underlying goal is political: to recreate Trump-era tariffs after the Supreme Court ruled them unlawful. Using forced labor as a pretext risks undermining the legitimacy of real anti-trafficking efforts.

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