[Pages H3738-H3740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

UYGHUR POLICY ACT OF 2025

Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 2635) to support the human rights of Uyghurs and members
of other minority groups residing primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region and safeguard their distinct identity, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 2635

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Uyghur Policy Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) The People's Republic of China (PRC) continues to
repress the distinct Islamic, Turkic identity of Uyghurs and
members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in the
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwestern
China and other areas of their habitual residence.
(2) Uyghurs, and other predominantly Muslim ethnic
minorities historically making up the majority of the XUAR
population, have maintained throughout their history a
distinct religious and cultural identity.
(3) Human rights, including freedom of religion or belief,
and respect for the Uyghurs' unique Muslim identity are
legitimate interests of the international community.
(4) The PRC has ratified the International Covenant on
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and is thereby bound
by its provisions. The PRC has also signed the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
(5) An official campaign to encourage Han Chinese migration
into the XUAR has placed immense pressure on those who seek
to preserve the ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic
traditions of the Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious
minority groups.
(6) PRC authorities have supported an influx of Han Chinese
economic immigrants into the XUAR, implemented discrimination
against Uyghurs and other minorities in hiring practices, and
provided unequal access to healthcare services.
(7) PRC authorities have manipulated the strategic
objectives of the international war on terror to mask their
increasing cultural and religious oppression of the Muslim
population residing in the XUAR.
(8) Following unrest in the region, in 2014, Chinese
authorities launched their ``Strike Hard against Violent
Extremism'' campaign, in which dubious allegations of
widespread extremist activity were used as justification for
gross human rights violations committed against Uyghurs and
members of other minority communities in the XUAR.
(9) PRC authorities have made use of the legal system as a
tool of repression, including for the imposition of arbitrary
detentions and for torture against members of the Uyghur
community and other minority populations.
(10) Uyghurs and Kazakhs who have secured citizenship or
permanent residency outside of the PRC have attested to
repeated threats, harassment, and surveillance by PRC
officials.
(11) Reporting from international news organizations has
found that over the past decade, family members of Uyghurs
and other minority groups living outside of the PRC have gone
missing or been detained to force Uyghur expatriates to
return to the PRC or silence their dissent.
(12) In 2017, Radio Free Asia's Uyghur Service was the
first media organization to report on the PRC's vast, mass
arbitrary-detention program in the XUAR in 2017.
(13) Credible evidence from human rights organizations,
think tanks, and journalists confirms that more than
1,000,000 Uyghurs and members of other ethnic minority groups
have been imprisoned in extrajudicial ``political
reeducation'' centers.
(14) Independent accounts from former detainees of
``political reeducation'' centers describe inhumane
conditions and treatment including forced political
indoctrination, torture, beatings, rape, forced
sterilization, and food deprivation.
(15) Former detainees also confirmed that they were told by
guards that the only way to secure release was to demonstrate
sufficient political loyalty to the PRC Government.
(16) Popular discourse surrounding the ongoing atrocities
in the XUAR and advocacy efforts to assist Uyghurs remains
muted in most Muslim majority nations around the world.
(17) Former Secretary of States Antony Blinken and Michael
Pompeo and Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the
PRC Government has committed genocide and crimes against
humanity against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious
minorities in the XUAR.
(18) Government bodies of multiple nations have also
declared that PRC Government's atrocities against such
populations in the XUAR constitute genocide, including the
parliaments of the United Kingdom, Belgium, Czechia,
Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Canada.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the Sense of Congress that--
(1) the Government of the People's Republic of China should
immediately open the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)
to regular, transparent, and unmanipulated visits by members
of the press, international organizations including the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights, academic and human rights research institutions, as
well as foreign delegations including from the United States
Congress;
(2) the Government of the People's Republic of China should
recognize, and take tangible steps to protect and preserve,
the distinct ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic
identity of Uyghurs and members of

[[Page H3739]]

other ethnic and religious minority groups in the XUAR;
(3) the Government of the People's Republic of China should
cease all government-sponsored crackdowns, imprisonments, and
detentions of people throughout the XUAR aimed at repressing
their ethnic, cultural, political, or religious identities;
(4) the Government of the People's Republic of China should
cease all government-sponsored transnational repression of
Uyghurs, including the detainment, harassment, intimidation,
and surveillance of the family members of exiled Uyghurs and
Uyghur activists;
(5) it is commendable for countries to provide shelter and
hospitality to Uyghurs and other minority group members in
exile, as Turkey, Albania, and Germany have done;
(6) urges all countries, especially fellow democracies and
those with sizeable Muslim populations, to condemn and
address the plight of Uyghurs and other minority communities
in the XUAR;
(7) the Government of the People's Republic of China should
immediately and unconditionally release all prisoners that
have been detained for their ethnic, cultural, religious, and
linguistic identities, for expressing their political or
religious beliefs in the XUAR, or for being related to
members of the Uyghur diaspora or activist community
including--
(A) Ekper Asat, who participated in the Department of
State's International Visitors Leadership Program in 2016,
was incarcerated after returning to the XUAR, and is now
serving a 15 year prison sentence on charges of ``inciting
ethnic hatred and ethnic discrimination'';
(B) Dr. Gulshan Abbas, a retired medical doctor and Uyghur,
who was wrongfully detained in the XUAR on September 11,
2018, and unjustly sentenced to 20 years in prison in
retaliation for her sister's advocacy for Uyghur human rights
issues; and
(C) Kamile Wayit, a university student and Uyghur, who was
wrongfully detained on December 12, 2022, after returning to
the XUAR while on break from studying during the winter
holiday;
(8) the Government of the People's Republic of China should
facilitate access for international humanitarian
organizations, including the International Federation of Red
Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to the ``political
reeducation'' centers in the XUAR to ensure prisoners are not
being mistreated and are receiving necessary medical care;
and
(9) the Department of State should continue to facilitate
the unhindered dissemination of information to the
international community on issues regarding the human rights,
religious freedom, and transnational repression of Uyghurs
and members of other minority groups in the XUAR.

SEC. 4. UNITED STATES STRENGTHENING OF COORDINATION ON UYGHUR
ISSUES.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of State, as appropriate,
shall--
(1) prioritize policies, programs, and projects to support
the Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious
minority groups in the XUAR;
(2) vigorously promote the policy of seeking to protect the
distinct ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic identity
of the Uyghurs and other minority groups and seek improved
protection of human rights in the XUAR;
(3) direct the State Department to maintain close contact
with Uyghur religious, cultural, and political leaders,
including seeking regular travel to the XUAR and to Uyghur
populations in Central Asia, Turkey, Albania, Germany, and
other parts of Europe;
(4) lead coordination efforts for the release of political
prisoners in the XUAR who are being detained for exercising
their human rights or being relatives of exiled Uyghurs;
(5) consult with the United States Congress on policies
relevant to the XUAR and the Uyghurs;
(6) coordinate with relevant Federal agencies to administer
aid to Uyghur rights advocates;
(7) make efforts to establish contacts with foreign
ministries of other countries, especially in Europe, Central
Asia, and members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation,
to pursue a policy of promoting greater respect for human
rights and religious freedom for Uyghurs and other ethnic and
religious minority groups from the XUAR;
(8) utilize the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and
United States Strategic Dialogue to address Uyghur rights,
working with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
individual member states to develop and implement joint
initiatives and programs aimed at promoting awareness of
Uyghur rights, and support Uyghur victims of detainment,
harassment, and transnational repression;
(9) support independent media authorized under PL 111/202
22 U.S.C. 6208 of the 111th Congress that conduct reporting
and investigative journalism focused on the XUAR, including
in local languages, to ensure that further PRC human rights
abuses are reported on;
(10) work with international partners to raise awareness
concerning acts of transnational repression against Uyghur
Americans or Uyghurs exiled in the United States;
(11) develop and implement strategies to prevent and
respond to the transnational repression of Uyghur Americans
and Uyghurs exiled in the United States;
(12) establish a reporting mechanism for individuals to
report incidents of transnational repression; and
(13) submit an annual report, including a classified annex
if necessary, to Congress on actions taken by the United
States to address and prevent transnational repression
against Uyghurs in the United States, and recommendations for
further legislative or policy measures.
(b) Support.--The Secretary of State shall ensure the
Department of State has adequate resources, staff, and
administrative support to carry out this section.
(c) Termination.--This section shall terminate on the date
that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. FUNDING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES TO CONDUCT PUBLIC
DIPLOMACY IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD ON THE UYGHUR
SITUATION.

Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated for the United
States Speaker Program of the Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs of the Department of State, $250,000 for
each of fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027 is authorized to be
made available to support human rights advocates working on
behalf of the Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and
religious minority groups from the XUAR that are persecuted
in the PRC, whose names may be provided by the Department of
State in consultation with representatives of the global
Uyghur community, to speak at global public diplomacy forums,
particularly those in which Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation countries and other Muslim-majority countries are
present, on issues regarding the human rights and religious
freedom of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious
minority groups persecuted in the PRC.

SEC. 6. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.

No additional funds are authorized to carry out the
requirements of this Act. Such requirements shall be carried
out using amounts otherwise authorized.

SEC. 7. ACCESS TO DETENTION FACILITIES AND PRISONS AND THE
RELEASE OF PRISONERS.

(a) Strategy on Political Reeducation and Detention
Facilities.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal
departments and agencies, develop a strategy to cooperate
with like-minded partners to pressure the People's Republic
of China to--
(1) close all detention facilities and ``political
reeducation'' camps housing Uyghurs and members of other
ethnic minority groups in the XUAR;
(2) allow unhindered access to detention facilities and
``political reeducation'' camps in the XUAR by independent
media, researchers, international organizations and the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights for a comprehensive assessment of the human rights
situation; and
(3) protect human rights and preserve the distinct
religious and cultural identity of the Uyghurs and the other
religious and ethnic minority communities in the XUAR.
(b) Report on Strategy and Implementation.--Not later than
1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate a report, including a
classified annex if necessary, that includes--
(1) the strategy developed pursuant to subsection (a); and
(2) all the steps taken to implement such strategy pursuant
to the objectives described in subsection (a).

SEC. 8. REQUIREMENT FOR UYGHUR LANGUAGE TRAINING.

(a) Uyghur Language Training and Staffing.--The Secretary
of State shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure
that--
(1) Uyghur language training is available to Foreign
Service officers as appropriate; and
(2) every effort is made to ensure that at least 1 Uyghur-
speaking member of the Foreign Service (as such term is
defined by section 103 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22
U.S.C. 3903)) is assigned to each United States diplomatic or
consular post in China.
(b) Report.--No later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 2 years,
the Foreign Service Institute shall submit to the Committee
on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report that
outlines all the steps taken to implement subsection (a).

SEC. 9. UYGHUR CONSIDERATIONS AT THE UNITED NATIONS.

The President should direct the United States Permanent
Representative to the United Nations to use the voice, vote,
and influence of the United States to--
(1) oppose any efforts to prevent consideration of the
gross violation of internationally recognized human rights in
the XUAR in any body of the United Nations;
(2) oppose any efforts to prevent the participation of any
Uyghur human rights advocates in nongovernmental fora hosted
by or otherwise organized under the auspices of any body of
the United Nations; and
(3) support the appointment of a special rapporteur or
working group for the XUAR for the purposes of monitoring
human rights violations and abuses in the XUAR, and for
making reports available to the High Commissioner for
Refugees, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Human
Rights

[[Page H3740]]

Commission, the General Assembly, and other United Nations
bodies.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Washington (Mr. Baumgartner) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Castro)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Washington.

general leave

Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Washington?
There was no objection.
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise today in strong support of Representative Young Kim's Uyghur
Policy Act of 2025.
The Chinese Communist Party continues to commit genocide against the
Uyghur people in Xinjiang. Over 1 million Uyghurs are held in mass
detention camps, where they face torture, forced labor, constant
surveillance, and forced sterilization. This is not just about abuse.
It is a systematic campaign of genocide.
The Uyghur Policy Act of 2025 pushes back. It directs the Secretary
of State to prioritize support for the Uyghurs and other persecuted
groups and to work with allies to pressure China to close these camps.
It also urges U.S. leadership at the United Nations to ensure China's
human rights abuses are not ignored or silenced.
America must lead with moral clarity. We must stand for human rights
and against genocide.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2635 to
support the human rights of Uyghurs, and I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I am a proud supporter of Representative Kim's Uyghur Policy Act of
2025. The House Foreign Affairs Committee has played an important
leadership role in pushing for the protection of Uyghurs and other
minorities in Xinjiang in the face of genocide and forced labor, as my
colleague mentioned.
In the last few years, the Congress and the House Foreign Affairs
Committee have prioritized this issue, including marking up and
enacting the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, thanks in large part
to Representative Jim McGovern and Speaker Emerita Pelosi's
leadership, but our work is far from done because Beijing's oppression
continues.
The legislation before us today is a strong, bipartisan bill. I hope
it sends a clear signal to the Trump administration about Congress'
intent. So far, the administration has cut congressionally authorized
programs that support human rights in China, including initiatives
empowering Chinese and Uyghur-related diaspora groups to combat
transnational repression and defend religious freedom.
Despite the fact that Radio Free Asia helped break the story about
China's program of detention, reeducation, and forced labor, this
administration is trying to close Radio Free Asia as we speak. It has
shut down the only independent Uyghur language service in the entire
world.
I thank Representative Kim and Representative Bera for their
leadership on this bill and hope this administration reverses course.
These cuts aid the CCP, not the victims of their abuse or the American
people.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join in supporting this
measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman
from California (Mrs. Kim), the sponsor of this legislation.
Mrs. KIM. Mr. Speaker, I thank
my colleague, Representative Baumgartner, for yielding and for managing
the floor today.
I rise in strong support of my bill, H.R. 2635, the Uyghur Policy Act
of 2025.
The Uyghur Policy Act of 2025 comes at a very important time. The
Chinese Communist Party continues to deny its genocide against the
Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities. We know that forced sterilization,
forced labor, brainwashing, and torture are rampant in the Xinjiang
Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Despite exposure of the CCP's crimes, Xi Jinping is doubling down. A
civil society investigation uncovered that the CCP's harassment and
forced transfer of Uyghur workers is more pervasive than previously
thought, with individuals relocated over 2,000 miles away from the
Uyghur region.

{time} 1720

Meanwhile, Uyghur human rights advocates and family members of
detainees are intimidated and harassed by the CCP's transnational
repression and espionage campaigns abroad. The fact that this happens
here on U.S. soil is unacceptable and threatens our homeland.
The Uyghur Policy Act directs the Secretary of State to lead all
United States Government policies and programs that support Uyghurs and
other ethnic and religious minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region. It counteracts transnational repression against the
Uyghur diaspora and creates reporting mechanisms for Uyghur victims.
It also works to expose and disrupt Beijing's state-sponsored forced
labor programs that exploit Uyghurs in order to dominate vital
industries. This includes the cotton industry, where more than 20
percent of the world's cotton is a product of Uyghur forced labor. We
need to make sure that our economy is not subsidized by the CCP's human
rights abuses.
The United States must show through words and through actions that we
will have Uyghurs' backs in their fight against the CCP's tyranny. We
must leverage U.S. soft power, garner international support for Uyghurs
and other ethnic minorities, and equip the State Department with the
tools that it needs to effectively fight against Xi Jinping's genocidal
campaign.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Representative Ami Bera, for
leading this bipartisan legislation with me, and I urge my colleagues
to support it.
Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume for the purposes of closing.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to champion the protection of Uyghurs as a
Member of Congress. Yet, let me point out someone who is also a fierce
champion of the Uyghurs, perhaps their strongest supporter across the
Capitol, and that is our current Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Then-Senator Rubio gave an important speech in the Senate to get the
Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act over the finish line just a few
years ago in 2021. Yet, now, as Secretary, he has overseen drastic cuts
to religious freedom and human rights programming that helps the
Uyghurs.
I hope that this bill augurs a return to Senator Rubio, rather than
what is a disheartening and nonstrategic policy that we have seen from
the State Department today.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this legislation and encourage my
colleagues to do so, as well, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BAUMGARTNER. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in
passing the Uyghur Policy Act of 2025 to increase awareness and
advocacy for Uyghurs. We cannot be silent in the face of genocide.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baumgartner) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2635.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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