The Facts
US Pres. Biden’s administration Monday announced plans to crack down on child labor — including establishing a joint task force between the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services to improve information sharing between the two agencies.
The administration, which plans to better enforce current child-labor laws, is seeking legislation to create higher fines for violators and appropriate funding for enforcement and oversight. Currently, violators face a fine of just over $15K.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
With the Biden administration intensifying its enforcement of child-labor laws and its investigations of violators, companies won’t be able to hide behind staffing agencies or subcontractors anymore. Factories, suppliers, and even larger companies that employ children in their supply chains will finally be held accountable. Congress should pass the necessary legislation to aid the administration’s efforts.
Republican narrative
If the administration wants to tackle this problem, it should focus its efforts on the border and not on going after American companies. Underage migrants are using a loophole in US immigration policy to get into this country, and of course, they need to make money to live and to send home. Closing this loophole and better securing the border would cut down on illegal child labor and benefit the economy as a whole.
