Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith says holding countries accountable for forced labor "is appropriate to address unfair trading practices"
Jason SmithChairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means (Missouri's 8th District), in a committee press statement
In a statement on July 23, 2026, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith said that holding accountable countries that are not doing nearly enough to rid their supply chains of forced-labor goods "is appropriate to address unfair trading practices that put American workers at a competitive disadvantage." He called it absolutely necessary to combat what he called a moral outrage and said the administration's investigations had already led a number of countries to propose or take steps toward import bans.
Responding to
USTR determined on June 2, 2026 that each of 60 economies' failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor is unreasonable and burdens or restricts U.S. commerce, and on July 23, 2026, at the President's specific direction, imposed additional duties of 10% or 12.5% as the appropriate action under Section 301 to obtain the elimination of that practice.
“Holding accountable those countries that are not doing nearly enough to rid their supply chains of goods produced with forced labor is appropriate to address unfair trading practices that put American workers at a competitive disadvantage. But it is also absolutely necessary to combat this moral outrage.”
Official statement
Official statement
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Are Trump's Section 301 "forced labor" tariffs a lawful remedy, or a pretext to revive struck-down global tariffs?
On July 23, 2026, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, at President Trump's direction, imposed additional tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on imports from 60 economies under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. The duties took effect July 24. USTR says each economy failed to impose and effectively enforce a ban on imports of goods made with forced labor, which it found unreasonable and a burden on U.S. commerce. Businesses and 25 states sued in the Court of International Trade. They say the forced-labor rationale is a pretext for re-creating the global tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February, and that USTR skipped the country-by-country findings the statute requires. The Justice Department says USTR made findings for all 60 economies on a record of data, testimony and public comments. A three-judge panel heard argument on September 30, 2026. As of that date, no court had ruled on the Section 301 tariffs. The disputed question is whether the tariffs are a lawful remedy under Section 301 or a pretext to revive the struck-down global tariffs.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
A statement from Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith of Missouri on the day USTR announced the final action. The committee's page is the original of the statement USTR also quoted in its July 24 release.
Official statement
About this source
A USTR release compiling statements of support for the action from unions, trade associations, companies and one member of Congress. USTR selected and published the statements, so they show who supported the action in USTR's account. They are the statements of the named speakers, not of USTR.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Official statement
About this source
Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith's statement the day after USTR issued its affirmative determinations in the 60 investigations. He says USTR's report shows that too many trading partners fall short of basic cooperation on forced labor.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Smith issued the statement after the administration announced duties of 10% to 12.5% on U.S. trading partners under Section 301. On June 3 he had issued a statement applauding USTR's determinations. His committee has jurisdiction over trade.
After the quotation
USTR quoted part of the statement the next day in a release collecting praise for the action. As of September 30, 2026, we did not locate a statement from Smith on the court challenges, and no court had ruled.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the Section 301 forced-labor tariffs, Smith calls the action appropriate and necessary, which defends it as justified. He addresses the policy and not the pending legal challenges. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because he also says more should be done to hold trading partners accountable, but that is a call for more action rather than a condition on his support.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseFormer trade officials Hills, Wolff and Maruyama tell the court the administration is turning "targeted authority" into "a sweeping power"
“This case concerns the Executive Branch's attempt to transform that targeted authority into a sweeping power to impose broad, economy-wide tariffs untethered from the statute Congress enacted. The text, structure, and history of Section 301 demonstrate that Congress intended the provision to address specific foreign acts, policies, or practices identified through a meaningful investigation and supported by findings of harm to U.S. commerce.”Read statement
Justice Department brief says USTR's actions are "consistent with the text, object, and purpose of the Section 301 statute"
United States Department of Justice
“The actions that USTR has taken at the direction of the President in this case are consistent with the text, object, and purpose of the Section 301 statute, as well as with the President's firm commitment to create a level playing field for U.S. workers, producers, and exporters by conditioning access to the U.S. market on concrete action to prohibit international trade in forced labor goods. The investigations and responsive actions under Section 301 are the culmination of decades of efforts by the U.S. Government to eradicate forced labor from international supply chains. USTR followed Section 301's "demanding procedural prerequisites" when taking those actions.”Read statement
Learning Resources and six other plaintiffs say the government's determinations are "pretextual and preordained"
Learning Resources, Inc.
“To be clear, Plaintiffs do not condone reliance on forced labor or forced-labor imports. But that is not the real issue here. Defendants' pretextual and preordained determinations do not satisfy the statutory requirements of Section 301 or the applicable Administrative Procedure Act ("APA") standards. The charade must stop.”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith says holding countries accountable for forced labor "is appropriate to address unfair trading practices"
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/3959-in-a-statement-on-july-23-2026-house
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith says holding countries accountable for forced labor "is appropriate to address unfair trading practices"". First published: 2026-10-01. Last updated: 2026-10-01. https://disputeindex.com/events/3959-in-a-statement-on-july-23-2026-house