H.R. 10346 — Stop China’s Exploitation of Congolese Children and Adult Forced Labor through Cobalt Mining Act

This section states findings that worldwide demand for cobalt is projected to rise 600 percent by 2040. It notes that the Democratic Republic of the Congo supplied 73 percent of global cobalt mine production in 2025, that Chinese companies own 15 of the DRC’s 19 cobalt mines, and that an estimated 40,000 children work in artisanal mining there amid documented forced labor.

This section directs the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to complete an investigation into alleged forced labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo cobalt mining industry within 180 days and submit the results to the appropriate congressional committees. The investigation must include strategies to enforce section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930 by tracing cobalt origins, blocking imports from third countries, and preventing re-entry of denied shipments; a list of entities and downstream product categories; recommendations for identification tools; and coordination with nongovernmental organizations. It requires semiannual briefings and terminates after 8 years or upon presidential determination that forced labor has ended.

This section establishes definitions for the Act, including “appropriate congressional committees” as the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance; “artisanal and small-scale mining” as mining with minimal to no mechanization that includes intensive hand tools; “DRC” as the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and “forced labor” as that term is defined in section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930.