U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who is Chair of the House Global Human Rights Subcommittee, introduced legislation to the U.S. House of Representatives to prevent cobalt that is obtained or processed with the aid of child labor from entering or being used by the U.S. 

Smith introduced HR 7981 to “ensure that goods made using or containing cobalt extracted or processed with the use of child or forced labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) do not enter the United States market.”

Cobalt is used in lithium-ion batteries, which are essential components for smartphones, laptops, electric vehicles, and other electronic devices. Over half of the world’s cobalt comes from DRC mines, and fifteen of the nineteen mines in the DRC “reportedly owned wholly or in part by companies located in the People’s Republic of China.”

Smith’s portion of the bill would require an investigation into the use of forced labor in cobalt mines in the DRC and the development of a strategy to prevent cobalt mined through forced labor or child labor from entering the U.S. market. 

“The Communist Chinese government—which has gained almost full dominance of every single step of the cobalt supply chain—profits from child and forced labor used to extract cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo and power our so-called ‘green economy,’” Smith said in a press release. “The biggest beneficiaries of this cobalt continue to remain silent and refuse to face this uncomfortable truth: from dirt to battery, from cobalt to cars, the entire system is fueled by violence, cruelty, and corruption.”