Congress Tried to Address Forced Labor. They Have No Idea How Well It’s Working.

The opaqueness of the law’s rollout looks like “the epitome of failure of government,” said one member of Congress.

Containers are moved at the Port of New York and New Jersey

FILE - Containers are moved at the Port of New York and New Jersey in Elizabeth, N.J., on June 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) Seth Wenig/AP

Two years after an ambitious, first-of-its-kind import ban on products made with forced labor went into effect, Congress still has little visibility into how customs officials decide what scrutinized cargo gets let into the country.

Officials have allowed thousands of shipments into the United States after initially stopping them for suspected ties to forced labor. But according to lawmakers, administration officials have not sent a single report to Congress detailing why they chose to let those shipments in.

It’s not quite what members envisioned. As Congress prepares for a new presidential administration in January, some lawmakers are thinking about how to measure success thus far — and how to hold officials accountable in implementing the forced labor ban.