Washington, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The US Senate has passed bipartisan legislation seeking to impose sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for forced organ harvesting and requiring greater scrutiny of China’s organ transplant system.
The Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act was led by Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The legislation proposes sanctions against officials responsible for forced organ harvesting in China and directs the US Secretary of State to submit a report to Congress on the Chinese Communist Party’s organ harvesting policies and the country’s transplant system.
“The Chinese Communist Party continues to target Falun Gong practitioners through its brutal, state-sponsored organ harvesting industry,” Cruz said following the Senate’s passage of the bill.
“These atrocities are an assault on religious liberty and fundamental human rights. I am proud to have worked with Senator Merkley to get this bipartisan bill through the Senate, and I urge my colleagues in the House to pass it and send it to the President’s desk,” he said.
The Senate’s approval advances the legislation to the next stage of the congressional process. It must also be approved by the House of Representatives before it can be sent to the President.
Merkley cited reports of forced organ harvesting involving vulnerable groups in China and said the legislation was intended to hold the Chinese government accountable.
“China’s campaign of repression and human rights abuses continues to have horrific consequences, including reports of forced organ harvesting from vulnerable groups across the PRC,” he said.
“We must stand up for the victims of these crimes, and our bipartisan effort holds the Chinese government accountable for its abuses,” Merkley added.
The bill has received support from lawmakers across party lines. Its co-sponsors include Republican Senators Todd Young, Ron Johnson, Mike Rounds, Roger Marshall, Dave McCormick and James Lankford, along with Democratic Senators Adam Schiff, Ron Wyden, Catherine Cortez Masto and Raphael Warnock.
Cruz and Merkley introduced the bipartisan legislation in March 2026. Cruz had previously introduced the Falun Gong Protection Act in March 2025.
The legislation focuses particularly on allegations of forced organ harvesting involving Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Falun Gong, a spiritual movement founded by Li Hongzhi in China in the early 1990s, expanded rapidly during that decade. Chinese authorities outlawed the movement in 1999 and launched a campaign against its activities.
According to material released by Cruz’s office, Chinese authorities have carried out mass arrests and torture of Falun Gong practitioners, with thousands detained in labour camps. The material also alleges that some practitioners have been subjected to forced organ harvesting.
The bill seeks to establish sanctions as a means of holding individuals responsible for such practices accountable. It also aims to increase congressional access to information about China’s transplant system and the Chinese Communist Party’s policies on organ harvesting.
The Senate’s passage of the measure comes amid ongoing human rights concerns in US-China relations. Lawmakers from both parties have pursued legislation and congressional scrutiny on issues including religious freedom, the treatment of dissidents, and China’s policies in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
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