Representative Greg Casar (D-TX) introduced an amendment to the delayed 2023 Farm Bill relating to use of child labor. The amendment would have banned the USDA from contracting with “meat packing operations found to have serious, repeated or pervasive violations of child labor regulations or other labor law in their facilities or by subcontractors within their plants”. The measure was defeated in Committee on a party-line vote.
A vote against this amendment effectively implies support of “serious repeated or pervasive violations of child labor regulations”. The fact that the vote was along party lines exemplifies the philosophical divisions between the parties and suggests a lack of concern for the welfare of children. Many of those identified as employed underage are immigrants or refugees without documentation who are subject to exploitation. The proposed amendment would have served as an additional incentive to comply with labor regulations and immigration requirements
defining eligibility for employment.
The House Agricultural Committee Chair, Representative Glenn Thompson (R-PA) indicated that a hearing on child labor issues in the meat processing sector would be arranged at a subseqent time. The Committee in its indifference to a pervasive problem failed to put teeth into compliance with current laws that relate to child labor in dangerous situations. Why should members of a party promoting family values be so reluctant to adopt a simple remedy to help eliminate exploitation?