COBALT Supply Chain Act

This bill, titled the COBALT Supply Chain Act, aims to prevent goods containing cobalt refined in the People's Republic of China (PRC) from entering the United States market. It establishes a rebuttable presumption that such "covered goods" are produced, wholly or in part, with forced or child labor, thereby prohibiting their importation under Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930. This presumption can only be overcome if an importer provides clear and convincing evidence that the goods do not contain PRC-refined cobalt. The legislation mandates the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to develop a comprehensive enforcement strategy within 120 days of enactment. This strategy must outline measures to trace the origin of goods, enhance supply chain transparency, and identify third-country routes to prevent covered goods from entering the U.S. market. It also requires the strategy to include lists of entities involved in cobalt refining in the PRC, mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by PRC-owned entities, and U.S. importers of covered goods, along with sector-specific enforcement plans. Furthermore, the bill requires the President to annually certify that all non-Department of Defense federal vehicle purchases are free of parts made with child or forced labor from the DRC or the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). The bill's findings highlight that the DRC holds over half of the world's cobalt resources, with PRC companies dominating its extraction and processing, where child and forced labor are prevalent. This initiative underscores a U.S. policy to combat human rights abuses in critical mineral supply chains and address national security concerns related to PRC dominance.