U.S. stops buying cobalt mined by children in Congo
H.R. 10346 — Stop China’s Exploitation of Congolese Children and Adult Forced Labor through Cobalt Mining Act · Filed by Chris Smith (R-NJ) · Introduced Sep 10, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The bill tells the federal government to enforce laws against cobalt from Congo. Children and forced workers mined this cobalt. A task force must create a plan within 180 days. The plan tracks where cobalt comes from. It stops cobalt from entering the U.S. The task force reports to Congress every six months for up to eight years.
Who it affects
Children and adults forced to work in Congo's cobalt mines are protected. Companies that make electronics and batteries must check their cobalt sources. People who buy phones, computers, and batteries benefit from knowing their products were not made with child labor.
One thing to notice
The bill focuses on Chinese-owned mines in Congo. Checking cobalt sources may cost electronics and battery makers money.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
- Sep 10, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Sep 10, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- cobalt — A metal used in batteries and electronics like phones and computers.
- enforce — To make sure a law is followed and punish those who break it.
- task force — A group created to work on one specific problem or goal.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (5,748 characters) on Sep 13, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,206 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-17.
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