WASHINGTON - Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) issued the following statement in response to the article in today’s New York Times on U.S. government procurement of apparel from suppliers in Bangladesh and other similar countries
“Today's story in the New York Times illustrates vividly the lack of a worker voice in the factories in Bangladesh and other countries where we source our clothing. I clearly saw that missing voice when I was in Bangladesh in August. The consequences are also clearly shown and they are shameful, with workers often deprived of the most basic guarantees of safety. The U.S. government needs to ensure that it is not supporting practices that silence and imperil workers. A good first step would be to ensure that our military exchanges improve their procurement practices and we will continue to work to that end."
