UHRP Welcomes House Passage of the Uyghur Policy Act, Calls for Senate Action
For immediate release
September 2, 2025 | 7:00 p.m. EDT
Contact: Omer Kanat, +1 (202) 790-1795, Peter Irwin, +1 (646) 906-7722
The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) praises passage of the Uyghur Policy Act (H.R. 2635) in the US House of Representatives today, and calls for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to move the bill for markup and approval.
“The Uyghur Policy Act makes it U.S. policy to recognize and protect the distinct ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic identity of the Uyghurs, and authorizes more tools to end the atrocities,” said UHRP Executive Director Omer Kanat. “Uyghurs are grateful for the bipartisan leadership of Representative Young Kim and Representative Ami Bera, the sponsor and cosponsor of the bill. We urge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to act quickly to move this critical legislation forward.”
On the House floor, Members of Congress spoke powerfully to urge passage of the bill, condemning the ongoing atrocity crimes and calling for stronger U.S. action.
“The Chinese Communist Party continues to deny its genocide against the Uyghurs. But we know that forced sterilization, forced labor, brain washing and torture is rampant,” said Representative Young Kim (CA), Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific. “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.”
“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 Pelosi’s leadership. But our work is far from done because Beijing’s repression continues,” said Representative Joaquin Castro (TX). “The legislation before us today is a strong, bipartisan bill. I’m proud to champion the protection of Uyghurs.”
“The Chinese Communist Party continues to commit genocide against the Uyghur people,” said Representative Michael Baumgartner (WA). “This is not just about abuse, it’s a systemic campaign of genocide. The Uyghur Policy Act 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. America must lead with moral clarity, we must stand for human rights, and against genocide.”
The bill directs the State Department to coordinate policies, programs, and projects to support Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples. Importantly, it sets as an objective of U.S. policy to protect the distinct ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic identity of the Uyghurs. The bill mandates maintaining close contact with the Uyghur diaspora, vigorous efforts to obtain the release of prisoners of conscience, a strategy to prevent transnational repression against Uyghur Americans, and support for Radio Free Asia Uyghur Service.
Previous versions of the Uyghur Policy Act passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan majorities in 2022 and 2024. The Senate counterpart (S.1542) was introduced April 30, 2025 by Senator John Curtis (R-UT).
More information on bills endorsed by UHRP can be found on the UHRP Bill Tracker.