A US Department of Labor cut revokes over $38mn in foreign aid programmes, including funding for a project aimed at improving transparency in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry. The assistance was partly aimed at keeping forced labour out of cotton-picking.

The cut was announced by US Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer in a social media post: “On day one [as labor secretary], I promised that putting American workers first will be our top priority here at the Labor Department. At the direction of President Trump, we have wasted no time in executing our mission. Last week, the department terminated several foreign aid grants, saving over $38mn.”

She questioned the merits of allocating American taxpayer funds to international labour initiatives, including those related to Uzbekistan’s cotton industry. 

US taxpayer funds directed into international labour and environmental programmes were backing initiatives in a way that put “America last”, said Chavez-DeRemer.

The Uzbekistan-focused initiative, titled “Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in Uzbekistan’s Cotton Industry,” aimed to improve labour conditions and prevent forced labour by strengthening the ability of workers and employers to uphold international labour standards. 

Launched in August 2022, the project was initially set to run until December 2026. It received $2mn in funding in 2022, with an additional $1mn planned for 2025, according to Gazeta.uz.

To Uzbekistan, cotton is “white gold”, and in 2021, the country privatised its entire cotton sector.

Pursuing an expansion of added-value exports, the country no longer exports raw cotton but instead seeks to process the commodity into textiles and garments for export markets. However, big brand names around the world are encouraged by international campaigners not to source fast-fashion and other cotton-based products from countries that have not stamped out forced labour.

Uzbekistan halted the practice of using forced labour in cotton-harvesting as long ago as 2017 but efforts at staying vigilant against instances of its return require expertise and funding.