Chip Roy
Representative for Texas · Republican · United States
“We don't necessarily need a bureaucratic organization that its entire organizational structure and bias is structured against us, despite the fact that we fund the overwhelming majority of its operations. The United Nations has been operating against our interests.”
“Madam Chair, I note that it is just not enough for us to say that they can do better. This is an organization that has too often allowed terrorist infiltration within its own entities and sided with terrorist organizations directly against us and our allies.”
“When you are a nation that is $40 trillion in debt, when you are a nation that is trying to figure out how to fund the basics of government and find the dollars that we need to secure the Nation with a strong defense, to modernize our military, to ensure border security, all the things that we need to do while we are still racking up debt…”
“Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman from Florida for his strong work on making reforms to this appropriations package. He did it in the previous Congress last year. He is doing it [[Page H4521]] again this year.”
“Again, I applaud the chairman for all of his great work on things like UNRWA, working in collaboration with me and others on trying to remove that funding--it was very important--the United Nations Human Rights Council abomination, the United Nations Population Fund, other things that I know that the gentleman has been working on.”
“Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following: Sec. __.”
The complete record
Every one of 214 lines we hold for Chip Roy, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 5.
“When that is what is happening, when you have people on Medicaid who are getting a higher subsidy than people on Medicare, who have paid into it their entire lives, into the tax on Medicare; when you have people who are able- bodied who are getting a higher subsidy than the vulnerable population for whom Medicaid was originally created, then someone explain to me why we don't have a duty to fix that. That is what we are putting forward, to try to deliver healthcare that would actually have a doctor and a patient relationship rather than a corporate overlord or government bureaucrat telling you what your healthcare is. That is the system that has been created. That is the system that we are living with now under expanded ObamaCare. That is what that is, expanded ObamaCare.”
“On the issue of healthcare, the issue was raised, as is often the case by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, to try to scare the American people that somehow raising questions about the inefficiency, the ineffectiveness, the waste, the fraud of a government healthcare solution, that somehow that is taking away benefits. When you have a trillion dollars of improper payments, when you have the State of California openly and publicly stating that they are gaming the Medicaid system and the provider tax and the Federal match rate to provide funds to illegal aliens and for their general budget to game the system at what best can be called money laundering, as was editorialized in The Wall Street Journal last week.”
“Yet, we are impeding the ability to have more reliable power by virtue of mandates. That is the whole point of the problem with the Inflation Reduction Act. That is the whole point of the problem with the rules and the rulemaking done by the Biden administration that we are trying to reverse under these CRAs, so that we can make things more affordable for the American people. That is it. We are trying to help the average Texan, the average New Mexican, the average American be able to afford to live, trying to be able to figure out how to get power, get a vehicle that they can afford to be able to carry out their job. That is it.”
“How do you get the power from the wind farms in west Texas to the various facilities where we are making power? How reliable is it during ice storms or during the heat of the summer? When you have a cloudy, windless day, how are you getting power? Who is making the parts for the solar panels? What happens to the solar panels in the environment when you are finished with the solar farm? All of these questions get brushed aside in a quest to say that we can have magical ``green, clean energy,'' when we have clean-burning natural gas in Texas and throughout this country that is producing a significant amount of economic benefit and power for our country and has done more to drive down CO 2 production and for clean air than virtually any other innovation we have had over the last century.”
“Speaker, I urge my colleagues to stop this political theater and focus on the real issues that matter to the American people. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would note that with respect to wind energy, yes, Texas is one of the leaders in wind energy. I worked for Governor Perry when the Governor was embracing wind power, and the fact of the matter is, as it has become a larger percentage of the grid, the reliability of Texas' grid has suffered, and now the consequences of having embraced wind as a significant portion of the grid are now coming to roost. We are now having to deal with what happens when these need to be shelved. Where do they go? They fill landfills. How much oil and gas goes into the production of said windmills?”
“Clean air isn't just about the environment. We heard the Speaker Emerita talking about the cost, the cost to the children, but it is also about economic prosperity. When people breathe clean air, they miss fewer work and school days, companies are more productive, kids learn more, families save on healthcare costs because fewer people go to the hospital for asthma and heart disease. It doesn't stop there. To meet California's emission standards, carmakers have built more fuel-efficient vehicles. That means we are saving money at the pump. Republicans love to talk about energy dominance, but for them, as I noted, it is just ``drill, baby, drill.'' Improving fuel efficiency is cheaper, smarter, and better for the environment and economy. Mr.”
“Speaker, I wanted to address this issue of the Clean Air Act and the fact that Republicans often say they believe in States' rights, but when a State like California actually chooses a policy they don't like, they throw that principle out the window. When Congress passed the Clean Air Act, it gave States that had standards before 1966 the right to apply for a waiver. Congress decided that. For 50 years, California has used that waiver to clean up its air. It is not just California. Other States have chosen to adopt these standards, too. Across America, we can breathe cleaner air. That is why our children can go out and play in the park and can run around. They don't have to stay indoors like they have to in Beijing or New Delhi or other countries that are polluted from the cars that clog their cities.”
“My colleagues are targeting almost $900 billion in cuts to Medicaid, threatening to take away healthcare for some 80 million Americans who rely on this program. That would strip away healthcare from millions, including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans. They are targeting SNAP, a vital food assistance program that provides food to 40 million people: seniors, children, and veterans. I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question so that we can bring up H.R. 2753, the Hands Off Medicaid and SNAP Act, to stop our colleagues from taking away healthcare from Americans and making a big mistake. Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr.”
“Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from New Mexico? There was no objection. Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa) to discuss our proposal. Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, this past week, I had the honor to visit a number of senior centers in my district. I saw seniors having a meal at lunchtime paid for by SNAP, seniors that have relied on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP, seniors that have worked all their lives to build America, and all they want to do is have a peaceful retirement. I rise today because my colleagues across the aisle are looking to cut Medicaid and SNAP, programs that hundreds of millions of Americans rely on to keep food on their table and their families healthy.”
“Under their plan, they will have to cut $880 billion from Medicaid and $230 billion in food assistance just to make the math work. Mr. Speaker, what is worse is they continue to argue they are not doing that, but the math doesn't lie. They can't reach the levels of billionaire tax cuts they want without completely [[Page H1702]] gutting vital programs like Medicaid and SNAP, programs that the most vulnerable in our country rely on. Republicans claim they won't make these cuts, so today I will give them a chance to put their money where their mouth is and vote to ensure those devastating cuts can't move forward in this House. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record along with any extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. The SPEAKER pro tempore.”
“The problem is that with a policy of ``drill, baby, drill,'' they don't want to look at all of the opportunities, even though Americans know that looking at energy independence means looking at all of the beautiful ways in which we can generate power in the United States. However, a more important question that is before us is: What is happening with Medicaid and SNAP? Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 2753, the Hands Off Medicaid and SNAP Act, which will prevent the Republican budget from cutting Medicaid or SNAP benefits. Mr. Speaker, this week Republicans are continuing full-speed ahead with their disastrous plan to cut the social safety net and blow up the deficit to give billionaires tax cuts. It is shameful. It is wrong.”
“Then they want to blame tariffs when we are 90 days in, and we had massive and rampant inflation under the Biden administration as a direct consequence of the regulatory policies and the failed policies of the previous administration. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from New Mexico has 8\1/2\ minutes remaining. The gentleman from Texas has 10 minutes remaining. Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman asks where would we get this electricity. In New Mexico as well as in Texas, we have amazing wind power and amazing solar power. There are many ways of generating electricity.”
“Speaker, the fact of the matter is, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to parade around EV mandates like they are somehow going to magically create power out of thin air, ignoring the fact we are empowering China, ignoring the fact we are empowering Chinese child laborers while we destroy the cost of living for the average American family, take away choice, take away the ability of an American citizen to be able to go out into the market and buy a hybrid vehicle or another vehicle that they can use to travel long distances, do their job, whether they are a plumber, an electrician, or carrying goods and services in a truck, and then they wonder why the cost of goods and services go up.”
“Freeland said last week in a speech at the Brookings Institution, a think-tank based in Washington, D.C., that democratic allies should embrace ``friendshoring,'' the practice of building supply chains through each other's economies. ``If we are to tie our economies even more closely together, we must be confident that we will all follow the rules in our trade with each other, even and especially when it would be easier not to,'' said Freeland. She added that Canada needed to show ``generosity in fast- tracking'' energy and mining projects for its allies that need to ``heat their homes and to manufacture electric vehicles.'' ``I cite these examples because, critically, friendshoring must be green. The curse of oil is real, and so is the dependence of many of the world's democracies on the world's petro-tyrants.'' Mr. ROY. Mr.”
“Toronto-based Sherritt International Corp., which refines cobalt in Canada, echoed that sentiment. Lucy Chitilian, Sheritt's director of investor relations, said that while the step by the U.S. may provide ``greater impetus'' for Canada to build its own supply chain, the company doubts that ``singling out'' China as a consumer of cobalt mined by children is a move to push an agenda. The demand for electric vehicles, which contain lithium-ion batteries, has been on the rise as countries look to accelerate their net-zero climate plans. The world will need more than 20 times the amount of lithium that was mined last year to meet demand by mid-century, due to growth in energy storage and electric vehicles, analysts from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence said on Oct. 13.”
“Toronto- based Electra Battery Materials Corp.'s Joe Racanelli, however, said he doesn't think there's a ``direct correlation'' between the list and the geopolitical motives of the Inflation Reduction Act. He said that the industry has been trying to deal with the labour exploitation in DRC's informal mines for quite some time. ``People want to make sure that as you are driving an electric vehicle where there is no child labour involved,'' said Racanelli, Electra's vice president of investor relations. Electra recently inked a deal to supply global lithium-ion battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. with 7,000 tonnes of cobalt from its Ontario refinery and will be importing feed for the mineral from DRC mines that meet global ethical standards.”
“In a similar vein, Theo Yameogo, head of mining and metals at global accounting firm Ernst & Young Global Ltd., said the latest step was taken due to ``concern around security of the battery minerals supply chain.'' However, the supply chain for minerals is ``very complex'' and focusing on cobalt alone would not solve the issue for the U.S., Yameogo said. Troy Nazarewicz, a spokesperson for Fortune Minerals Ltd., a company that's closing in on beginning construction of a cobalt mine and a refinery in Canada, said the U.S. was taking steps to ``diversify and reduce its reliance'' on China. ``It is basically to encourage and perhaps force companies to move away from Chinese sources of critical minerals,'' he said of the Labor Department's decision to link Chinese batteries to child labour in Africa.”
“trading partners. In August, the U.S. passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which states that EVs containing batteries assembled in North America and made up of critical minerals sourced from the region could receive up to US $7,500 worth of tax credits, which could offset some of China's advantages in the field. According to Moores, steps like these could cause a ``generational shift'' and Canadian miners would have to be ready to take advantage because ``Canada has the potential to be the gatekeeper for the North America electric vehicle boom, a key pillar of the Inflation Reduction Act,'' he said.”
“versus China trade war has spilled over into the EVs and lithium-ion batteries,'' said Simon Moores, CEO of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a research group based in London, in an interview. ``The U.S. will still rely on supply chains that pass through China for its lithium-ion batteries for some time, so it's a high risk strategy until the U.S. builds it own lithium-ion economy.'' Moores added that while DRC produces more than 70 per cent of the world's cobalt, ``not all'' of it is produced using illegal practices. China leads the global EV Industry and last year accounted for about half of all EV sales, according to the International Energy Agency. It also dominates the supply of metals required to make batteries that drive EVs. Washington appears intent on building a ``lithium-ion economy,'' which could benefit Canada and other U.S.”
“The compendium, which also linked solar cells from China and crude palm oil from Indonesia to forced labour, ``can be considered a risk radar used to raise public awareness'' on labour exploitation, said Christine Feroli, a spokesperson for the U.S. Labor Department. The addition of lithium-ion batteries to the list comes at a time when the U.S. is looking to diversify its supply chain away from China, which has a strong grasp of the EV sector, and toward its allies, a trend known as ``friendshoring.'' In a speech in Washington, D.C., last week, Canada's deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, also emphasized the practice, stressing the need to speed up the development of energy projects in Canada so that the nation can support allies in need. ``It feels like the latest chapter in the U.S.”
“The Labor Department said China imports almost 90 percent of its cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where a significant amount of the mineral is produced through informal mines that employ children. The Asian powerhouse uses about 50 to 80 percent of its cobalt imports to make battery chemicals and components, justification enough for including Chinese batteries among items produced with child labour, the Labor Department said. It's been known for years that child labour is prevalent among DRC's artisanal and small-scale mines, yet this is the first time the U.S. government has chosen to include Chinese batteries, which dominate the market. Companies that use products from the list are in no danger of prosecution, but they might face uncomfortable questions from customers, activists and politicians.”
“Says Chinese Lithium-ion Batteries Are Made With Child Labour as Trade War Spills Into EVs (By Naimul Karim) The U.S. government's decision to tie a generous electric- vehicle subsidy to inputs from friendly countries was an obvious attempt to shift the EV supply chains away from China. But the power of the purse isn't the only strategy available to Washington. The Biden administration in late September added lithium-ion batteries from China to the U S. Labor Department's list of products derived from child and forced labour, a more subtle example of how the United States intends to offset Beijing's influence over a once-in-a- lifetime technological change, some industry insiders say.”
“EVs are widely considered vital for confronting climate change, and the companies that make them are at an inflection point. The contracts and accountability measures they lock in now could affect communities around the world for decades. Many experts warn that companies are failing to ensure that their supply chains are free of forced labor, washing their hands of responsibility for upstream suppliers they shrug off as out of their managerial reach. ``We know from every other industry there is that if we don't fix this now, in the early [[Page H1701]] days of this transition, it will be a massive mistake,'' said Duncan Jepson, a lawyer and supply-chain management expert. ``But the auto companies are not giving much hope they are willing to do anything to make a difference.'' ____ [From the Financial Post, Oct. 17, 2022] U.S.”
“Though not all labor in Xinjiang is forced, China's lockdown on information flowing from the region led the U.S. government last year to bar the import of any Xinjiang-made parts and products out of a concern they could be made with coerced labor. The companies' kid-glove approach on China and potential violations of U.S. law come as the White House and powerful congressional committees scrutinize the EV industry, which is booming as automakers race to gain the upper hand in the transition to climate-friendly battery-powered engines. The situation in Xinjiang is a key point of tension in the strained relationship between China and the West, as the United States and allies step up enforcement of penalties on industries operating there.”
“ban on products made in Xinjiang emerge near the top of Tesla's sprawling network of suppliers, according to a Washington Post examination of corporate records and Chinese media reports. Among them are companies that have openly complied with China's quotas for moving minority Muslim Uyghurs out of rural villages and into factory towns through what Chinese authorities call ``labor transfers'' or ``surplus labor employment.'' Tesla is among several EV companies that have suppliers with Xinjiang connections, records show. Ford has a deal with a battery maker that congressional investigators allege has ties to vast lithium mining and processing operations in Xinjiang, and Volkswagen operates a factory in the region with a Chinese partner.”
“18, 2023] EV Makers' Use of Chinese Suppliers Raises Concerns About Forced Labor (By Evan Halper) Tesla boasts that its electric vehicles are a marvel not just of innovation but also ethics, pledging in annual reports that it will ``not knowingly accept products or services from suppliers that include forced labour or human trafficking in any form.'' The carmaker touts its teams of monitors that travel to mining operations around the world, and has pledged to mount a camera at an African mine to prevent the use of underage or slave labor. But Tesla has been conspicuously silent when it comes to China, despite evidence that materials that go into its vehicles come from the Xinjiang region, where forced labor has been rampant. Firms that appear to undermine a U.S.”
“``Our community is right next to CDM, but they don't do anything for us.'' Renault, Volvo VW and Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, responded saying they recognised the importance of responsible mineral sourcing, took the allegations seriously and would discuss the findings with their suppliers. ____ [From the Washington Post, Sept.”
“Huayou Cobalt said CDM ``adopted a policy of healthy and safe operation'' at the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic until the government put forward its own pandemic prevention policies. It said all workers were paid in line with local labour laws. CDM has made significant contributions to the local community, Huayou Cobalt said, including organising agricultural education, building and renovating schools, setting up medical clinics and providing water and electricity to local villages. But there appears to be little sign of that in Kawama, a collection of red brick shacks with corrugated iron roofs held down by rocks. A woman heaves a bicycle laden with yellow water drums along a dry dirt track, a young boy helping to push from behind. ``There is no drinking water, no electricity, no school, no healthcare,'' claims Koffi.”
“Koffi, who worked at the mine as a security guard, told the Guardian he shared a hall with 80 others, with two workers sharing a mattress laid on a wooden board and propped up on bricks. ``I felt like a prisoner. I didn't have any freedom,'' he says. In interviews with the Guardian, some CDM workers say they are employed for as little as 88 a month. ``Payslips'' seen by the Guardian were written only in Chinese on a pencil-thin strip of paper. CDM is wholly owned by Huayou Cobalt, a Chinese conglomerate with interests in every step of the cobalt supply chain, from mining to cathode production. Renault and Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, name CDM among their suppliers.”
“To avoid its material being ``contaminated'' by cobalt from other sources as it passes along the supply chain, it is ``stored in clearly marked, segregated areas of the plant and is toll processed on lines dedicated for Tesla'', the report says. Two mineral experts told the Guardian this process is likely to be rigorous. Covid has compounded the already poor labour conditions endured by many workers. The community of Kawama stretches along one side of the main road south of Lubumbashi. On the other side stands the Congo Dongfang International Mining (CDM) mine and refinery. When the pandemic started, many CDM workers were confined to the mine for three months until the Congolese government compelled the company to release them.”
“Glencore said KCC only uses sub-contractors for specialist work or temporary contracts and monitors compliance with the terms of its contracts. ``In 2021, KCC became aware that employees of a global contractor company, whose contract ceased due to the reduction of project activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, did not receive their wages to the end of their employment term. In this instance, KCC engaged with the contractor . . . and the employees received the correct payment,'' a spokesperson said. In June 2020, Tesla signed a long-term deal to source cobalt from Glencore for its new ``giga-factories'' in Berlin and Shanghai. Tesla did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but in its latest impact report, the company says it procures cobalt only from producers in the DRC that meet its responsible sourcing standards.”
“This way they don't have responsibility and can end a contract at any time,'' says Kashal. While some workers said they hoped to get hired directly by KCC, saying it offered better wages than other mines, 44 percent of KCC's workers are employed through sub- contractors. The price is paid by men like Luc. ``I started on 80 a month while working as a security guard at KCC. Then KCC terminated the contract with the subcontractor and I suddenly lost my job, along with 600 other guards,'' he says. Luc was recently rehired by another security firm at the mine, but says he is still earning less than 140 a month. ``The main companies are treating the subcontractors well, but the subcontractors don't treat workers well. The mining companies are benefitting a lot, not the local people,'' he says.”
“The use of subcontractors can leave workers in an extremely precarious position: often hired on short-term contracts, or no contract at all, with limited benefits, low pay and the threat of termination always hanging over them. Josue Kashal, a lawyer for Centre d'Aide Juridico- Judiciaire, a local organisation that represents miners, says the use of subcontractors can lead to the big mines being able to avoid accountability. In his small office in Kolwezi, Kashal shows the Guardian a list of what he claims are more than 50 subcontractors that have been used by the Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) mine, which is owned by the Swiss commodities and mining giant Glencore. ``Glencore is using many subcontracted workers, so employees depend on the subcontractor, not Glencore.”
“``Where can I get another job?'' A spokesperson for CMOC, which majority owns TFM, said the company adheres to a number of international labour conventions and local labour laws. Since it acquired the mine in 2016, CMOC said it has contributed an average of 296m a year to the country's revenue. ``We are devoted to providing a safe, healthy and decent work environment to all employees and attach great importance to protecting the rights of employees,'' the spokesperson said. Mining for cobalt and copper is a vital source of income for DRC's government and creates tens of thousands of jobs-- with good wages for many--in a region with few other employment opportunities. But in some mines the majority of workers--almost 70 percent at TFM, for example--are hired through sub-contractors.”
“``We're being treated in a very bad way by the Chinese. I'm a victim of assault myself. I was slapped across the face four times,'' says Mutamba, another worker at TFM. One Congolese worker at TFM described sitting through a two-hour meeting in Chinese, only to be given a two-minute translation at the end. ``We feel humiliated and embarrassed,'' he says. ``The way they are treating our people, you can't believe. We are just expecting them to have respect for human life, instead of using people like slaves.'' Over the course of the investigation, workers interviewed by the Guardian said they deeply resented the way they were treated, but felt powerless to protest. ``It's a shocking situation, but I can't leave the job because there is no other choice,'' says one.”
“It is mining on a massive scale, highly mechanised and dependent on cutting-edge technology but powered by thousands of workers--more than 10,000 at TFM--who, like Pierre, are employed as mineral processors, drivers, mechanics, welders, security guards and general workers. In the last 15 years, Chinese companies have begun to enter the mining business, buying out North American and European companies so that they now control the majority of the cobalt and copper mines in southern DRC. And with this change, Congolese workers say, has come abuse, discrimination and racism. They say they are insulted, in some cases beaten, and claim they are paid less than Chinese workers who do the same job. They allege that Chinese supervisors disregard their experience and put production before safety.”
“That should be good news for people in southern DRC, where the majority of the cobalt mines are located, but a report launched today by UK-based corporate watchdog Raid and Congolese lawyers from the Centre d'Aide Juridico-Judiciaire, says many multinational mining companies--and the subcontractors they hire--create poorly paid jobs that keep workers in poverty. [[Page H1700]] ``Cobalt is an essential mineral for the green transition, but we must not turn away from the abusive labour conditions that taint the lithium-ion batteries needed for millions of electric vehicles,'' said Raid director Anneke Van Woudenberg. Kolwezi is the DRC's cobalt capital, a city so defined by mining that some communities sit on the rim of the giant craters that have been excavated in search of copper and cobalt.”
“In the UK, that growth will be driven by the government's ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2030. Last year, about 70 percent of the world's cobalt came from the DRC and the vast majority of that--93,000 out of 100,000 tonnes, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence (BMI)-- came from large-scale industrial mines. Although some battery and car manufacturers have reduced the amount of cobalt in their batteries, BMI says the volume of sales of cobalt into the sector will rise four or fivefold over the coming decade. The World Bank estimates that demand for cobalt production will increase 585 percent by 2050.”
“While the cobalt supply chain is highly complex, all these car manufacturers identified by the Guardian can be linked to one or more of the industrial mines named by the Guardian through a small number of key refineries and battery makers. Many EV brands have made public commitments to ``responsible sourcing'' of minerals, and some--notably Tesla--are using innovative ways to achieve this. Nevertheless, the Guardian's findings suggest how far the sector still has to go to ensure the shift to clean energy is not tainted by claims of workers' rights abuses. As delegates meet at Cop26, the UN climate change conference in Glasgow, the transition from petrol to EVs is being talked about as a key step in reducing carbon emissions. Global sales of passenger EVs--excluding hybrids-- are expected to soar from 3.3m in 2021 to 66m in 2040.”
“He is employed, via a subcontractor, at Tenke Fungurume mine (TFM), one of the country's biggest industrial mines, which is 80 percent owned by the Chinese company China Molybdenum (CMOC). An investigation by the Guardian has found that some workers, often employed through subcontractors, allege they are victims of severe exploitation, including wages as low as 30p an hour, precarious employment with no contracts, and paltry food rations. In a number of mines run by Chinese companies, workers made allegations of discrimination and racism reminiscent of the colonial era. The Guardian has tracked the cobalt supply chain from TFM and other industrial mines through a number of refiners and battery makers to some of the world's leading electric car manufacturers, including Tesla, VW, Volvo, Renault and Mercedes-Benz.”
“Stories of the harsh and dangerous working conditions endured by miners in the DRC's informal, or artisanal, cobalt mines--of child labour and miners being buried alive as tunnels cave in--have provoked an international outcry in recent years, forcing the western technology and automotive brands that rely on the mineral to look for ways to source ``clean'' cobalt, free from human rights abuses. Some companies in the cobalt supply chain have promised to stop sourcing from artisanal mines and instead get the mineral from large-scale industrial mines, which are seen as a safer option both for workers and corporate reputations. Pierre is not working at an artisanal mine, however.”
“Not that lunch is worth waiting for: he claims he is given just two small bread rolls and a carton of juice. ``The salary is very, very small. It gives me a headache . . . The mine makes so much and we make so little,'' he says. If he takes a day off, he says money is deducted from his wages. If he is sick and misses more than two days in a month, more money is cut. ``You can't even argue. If you do, you'll be fired,'' he says, squatting on the dirt floor of the bare brick shack he rents. ``The relationship between us and the [mine] is like a slave and a master,'' says Pierre.”
“8, 2021] `Like Slave and Master': DRC Miners Toil for 30p an Hour To Fuel Electric Cars (By Pete Pattisson in Kolwezi) The names Tesla, Renault and Volvo mean nothing to Pierre*. He has never heard of an electric car. But as he heads out to work each morning in the bustling, dusty town of Fungurume, in the Democratic Republic of Congo's southern mining belt, he is the first link in a supply chain that is fuelling the electric vehicle revolution and its promise of a decarbonised future. Pierre is mining for cobalt, one of the world's most sought-after minerals, and a key ingredient in the batteries that power most electric vehicles (EVs). He says his basic wage is the equivalent of 2.60 ($3.50) a day, but if he works through lunch and puts in hours of overtime, he can make up to about 3.70.”
“China and India are pumping it out. Meanwhile, my colleagues love to ignore the slave labor in China to produce the batteries that they drive around in their EVs while they pat themselves on the back and go to cocktail parties talking about how fantastic it is that they drive their EVs and how enlightened they are. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record three articles: `` `Like slave and master': DRC miners toil for 30p an hour to fuel electric cars'' in the Guardian; ``EV makers' use of Chinese suppliers raises concerns about forced labor''; ``U.S. says Chinese lithium-ion batteries are made with child labour as trade war spills into EVs.'' The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas? There was no objection. [From the Guardian, Nov.”
“I am always amazed when my colleagues on the other side of the aisle ignore the fact that these EVs require power. Somehow they get charged from the magic fairy dust of the magic energy tree? I mean, what are we talking about here? How do you power up an electric vehicle? It is done by burning coal, burning gas, or the nuclear plants that we are not actually permitting or building in the United States, while China builds two coal-fired plants virtually every week. We are building none. Well, good for us. The vast majority of the world is producing power with coal and natural gas, and it is growing exponentially. Meanwhile, we are crushing our grid, the reliability of American power, making it more expensive for the average American and doing really nothing about worldwide CO 2 production. That is the truth.”
“With these resolutions, Republicans are exposing their cynical, special-interest agenda that endangers public health in every community in our country by dismantling our protections for clean air, clean air for our children to breathe. They put the American peoples' health, economic security, and futures under direct dire threat as Republicans and their donor-driven cronies funnel billions into the pockets of guess who? Big polluters. Today, they want us to favor big polluters over clean air for our children to breathe. Democrats will never stop fighting to defend lifesaving protections for America's clean air. For the children, Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong ``no'' on this resolution. {time} 1300 Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.”
“Don't say clean air for our children to breathe is too expensive for us after all the things that the President has done to make things more expensive in our country. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to all of the Republican resolutions on the floor today, one of which takes away the right of California or any State to protect residents from dangerous pollution. The illegal attack on the vital clean air protection set by California would choke our communities with smog. We are used to that. Over time, Californians have seen and felt the impact of smog on our lives. The gentleman even referenced it in his comments, and we will relentlessly defend our State's right to protect the air our children breathe with robust fuel economy and pollution standards when Federal standards fall short.”
“If you believe in these tariffs, be willing to debate them, to stand up on this floor and say we think the tariffs are good, we think the tariffs are bad. Make Trump defend those tariffs. Why is he doing this to us? Why is he creating this disaster? This is a disaster of Trump's own creation. We are seeking four Republicans to join us to stop this. They already have some Republicans over on the Senate side. We have some that might be moving here. Let's stop this craziness of the tariffs. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker emerita. Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding and for her extraordinary leadership in making the case. Mr. Speaker, yes, we are talking about something being expensive.”
“It is Congress' duty to review whether what he is doing is accurate or not. Even though it is our review, this is another area where Republicans don't want to have the debate on this floor. They are hiding behind these things they stick in these rules. They actually thought they stopped time. Republicans passed a rule that stops time for the purposes of voting [[Page H1699]] on whether or not we should have these tariffs. They actually passed a rule that said this: ``Each day for the remainder of the first session of the 119th Congress shall not constitute a calendar day for the purposes of section 202 of the National Emergencies Act.'' Mr. Speaker, I offered an amendment last night. I offered an amendment last time we met in rules. We will keep offering amendments to say you can't stop time.”
“We love our trucks, but the problem is, Trump's tariffs are making all of that more expensive. He is raising the cost of trucks. Remember, there was like a $20,000 hike after one of his first attempts at tariffs before he started flip- flopping. We never know where he is at, right? His tariffs are raising the costs of housing. In New Mexico, the firing of Federal employees and the domino effects of the economic uncertainty because of his tariffs are making jobs harder to find. Mr. Speaker, Trump promised to lower prices on day one. Instead, his tariffs are crashing our economy, making those trucks more expensive and houses more expensive. People are out of work. Retirement accounts are destroyed. Under the Constitution, Congress has the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and impose tariffs.”