Doge Cuts Funding to Fight Child Labor – Guess Who's Paying the Price?

Doge Cuts Funding to Fight Child Labor – Guess Who's Paying the Price?

So here's a fun twist: Doge, alongside the Department of Labor, just decided to end a $3 million grant to Solidarity Group, a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to fighting child labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton fields. Yeah, you heard that right—child labor, pregnant women, all working in those fields, in conditions you'd think we’d have left behind in the 19th century.

But let’s rewind a bit. Uzbekistan used to be part of the Soviet Union. Post-independence, things didn’t go well. The country went full dictator mode, and for years, kids were being sent to work the cotton fields. Enter Solidarity Group, which partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor in 2022 to clean up this mess, fighting forced labor and child exploitation.

And guess what? They were making real progress. Local farmers were being empowered to sell cotton without exploiting children and pregnant workers. They were even cutting into Russia's cotton supply—the same cotton used in Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine. Yeah, that cotton.

But despite the tangible change they were driving, Doge decided to pull the funding, leaving Solidarity Group hanging. You’ve got to wonder: Why?

This isn’t the only cut they’ve made this year, but it might just be one of their most regrettable decisions. Because while they’ve been bragging about their “tough decisions,” it turns out they were pulling the rug out from under a nonprofit doing actual work to save children from forced labor. Great move, right?

So, next time someone brags about Doge’s cuts, maybe ask them if they’ve noticed that they're literally cutting support for child labor efforts in the process. It’s a bold strategy—but not one most people will be bragging about anytime soon.