ICAR Launches DefendILAB.com as central advocacy hub for Critical International Labor Rights Programs
(Washington D.C. | June 25, 2025) Today the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR) launches DefendILAB.com, an online clearinghouse for information about the impact of the Trump Administration’s attacks on The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) and its programs to advance strong labor standards and fair working conditions worldwide. It will also serve as an advocacy hub to fight back.
The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), created by President Truman after World War II, is a specialized agency of the U.S. Department of Labor. Its mission is to strengthen global labor standards, enforce labor commitments among U.S. trading partners, and combat international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. In addition to its research, trade negotiations, and diplomatic engagements, ILAB funds projects that support worker rights through its international grants program, which accounts for the majority of the office’s budget.
In March, the Trump Administration abruptly terminated all ILAB’s existing grants, canceling over $500 million allocated to combat child labor and forced labor abroad and support worker rights in trade partner countries. According to reports, the Administration eliminated this funding because it “lacked alignment with agency priorities and national security.” On social media, DOGE celebrated the move as canceling “‘America Last’ grants.”
The justification for canceling this funding was nonsensical. Advancing U.S. trade interests and eliminating forced labor, child labor, and human trafficking around the world is squarely within ILAB’s priorities. By improving labor conditions around the globe and ensuring U.S. trade partners are playing by the rules, these ILAB-funded projects were promoting a level playing field and protecting American workers and businesses from unfair competition. Gutting ILAB and ILAB-funded projects does not put America first.
In the wake of the Trump Administration’s attacks on ILAB and ILAB-funded programs, the DefendILAB.com platform marshals quantitative and qualitative measures to capture the scope of the impact and the damage that these cuts are doing. The site aims to be a one-stop-shop for anyone interested in understanding the value of ILAB; the importance of the work that the agency does; and the devastating effect that the Trump Administration is having on ILAB’s ability to carry out its critical mission.
“The cuts in funding have done significant damage to the amazing work that ILAB’s grantees carry out around the world every day, all in the furtherance of agency priorities, U.S. national security, and the benefit of American workers,” said Nicole Vander Meulen, Legal and Policy Director at ICAR. “That is to say nothing of the life-changing impact that these programs have for those who are trapped in conditions of child labor, forced labor, or human trafficking. The work that ILAB does and funds is critical to making progress on these issues and ultimately benefits U.S. workers. It is absolutely worth defending.”
With the platform now live, we will continue to collect and integrate data and stories of impact moving forward. DefendILAB.com will provide a clearinghouse for all of the efforts to protect ILAB and its critical programs, serving as a resource for advocates, journalists, and anyone else who wants to stay up to date on this ongoing fight.