ILRF, the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable, Free the Slaves, and Verité submitted a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies calling for continued funding for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs’ grant programs.

The mission of the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) is to improve working conditions around the world. To that end, ILAB negotiates and enforces labor commitments in U.S. trade agreements, provides technical expertise to help our trading partners comply with international labor standards, and works to combat child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. Through its grant programs, ILAB has spearheaded the worldwide effort to eradicate child labor.

The co-signers respectfully ask for $91 million in funding, the same funding level as FY2015, for ILAB in 2018. We believe ILAB’s programs and grants are essential for ensuring fair competition for American workers and businesses, improving labor standards and rule of law abroad, and building an international trade regime that works for all people.