Jasmin Malik Chua of Sourcing Journal published an article about the canceled ILAB grants and the response from the fashion industry. Jasmin also spoke to Thea Lee, who served as Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs under the Biden Administration:
You can’t put and keep ‘America First’ if we are embedded in a global economy where workers’ rights are trampled and disrespected. This careless decision ignores longstanding bipartisan consensus that American workers and businesses benefit from U.S. government projects that support foreign governments, business and civil society in maintaining and enforcing international labor protections.
Courtney Parella, spokesperson for the Department of Labor, sent in a statement via email, saying:
Americans “don’t want their hard-earned tax dollars bankrolling foreign handouts that put America last.
She added that the American people “resoundingly elected” President Donald Trump with a “clear mandate to reduce federal government bloat and root out waste.”