(Minghui.org) After the US Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan bill S.4009, “Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act,” on September 28, 2026, a number of legislators have voiced their support. Politicians and human rights advocates condemned Beijing’s brutal suppression of Falun Gong in China, and urged the House of Representatives to pass the bill and the President to sign it into law. The bill, once passed, will hold accountable perpetrators of state-sanctioned live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners who refused to renounce their faith.
After the US Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan bill S.4009, “Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act,” on September 28, 2026, many have spoken up and urged the House to pass the bill and hold the perpetrators accountable. Photo of the US Capitol. (Minghui.org)
Senators Cruz and Merkley Push to Pass Bipartisan Bill
The day after the bill was passed, Republican Senator Ted Cruz (Texas), who sponsored the bill and who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and co-sponsor Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley (Oregon) released a statement.
The bill stipulates that sanctions will be imposed on foreign individuals found to have knowingly participated in or assisted in the forced organ harvesting in China. It requires the US Secretary of State to submit to Congress a report on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) organ procurement and transplant policies.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act to the Senate on March 5, 2026. (Minghui.org)
In the statement, Sen. Cruz said, “The Chinese Communist Party continues to target Falun Gong practitioners through its brutal, state-sponsored organ harvesting industry. 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.”
Sen. Merkley said, “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. We must stand up for the victims of these crimes, and our bipartisan effort holds the Chinese government accountable for its abuses.”
Congressman Wilson: Violation of Human Rights Cannot Be Tolerated
Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) (Courtesy US Congress official website)
Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) issued a statement on October 1, 2026, and said, “The Chinese Communist Party must be held accountable for its horrific persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and the abhorrent practice of forced organ harvesting.
“The unanimous passage of the Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act in the Senate demonstrates the strong bipartisan recognition that these gross violations of religious freedom and fundamental human rights cannot be tolerated. Republicans and Democrats are united in standing with victims of Communist oppression.”
As a Co-Chair of the Congressional Victims of Communism Caucus, Congressman Wilson said, “I remain dedicated to the final passage and sending this important legislation to President Trump’s desk,”
Congressman Bilirakis: Those Responsible for Forced Organ Harvesting Must Be Held Accountable
Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) (Courtesy US Congress official website)
Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) also released a statement on Oct 1 and said, “I applaud the Senate’s unanimous passage of the bipartisan Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act. Forced organ harvesting is a horrific violation of human dignity, and those responsible must be held accountable. This legislation would impose sanctions on perpetrators in China and strengthen scrutiny of these abuses.
“I look forward to working with my House colleagues to advance this measure and stand firmly for religious freedom and fundamental human rights.”
President of the Religious Freedom Institute: S.4009 An Important Marker For US Policy
David Trimble, President of the Religious Freedom Institute (Courtesy Religious Freedom Institute website)
David Trimble, President of the Religious Freedom Institute, said during an interview with Minghui on October 1, “The Chinese Communist Party has for years subjected members of the Falun Gong to extreme forms of persecution, including mass imprisonment in labor camps, torture, and forced organ harvesting.
“Challenges surrounding what the United States ought to do in response to this evil in light of China’s status as America’s main strategic competitor are substantial but by no means insurmountable. S. 4009 would establish an important marker for U.S. policy by directing the President to impose financial and immigration-related sanctions on CCP officials who perpetrate atrocities against the Falun Gong and ensuring that Congress remains informed about CCP policies and practices in this area.”
Background on the Bill
In his introduction to the bill Senator Cruz wrote, “Falun Gong is a movement founded in the early 1990s by Li Hongzhi in China, which grew rapidly throughout the 1990s. The CCP outlawed the movement in 1999 and sought to eliminate Falun Gong activity.
“The CCP has conducted mass arrests and torture of Falun Gong practitioners and detained thousands of practitioners in labor camps, subjecting some to forced organ harvesting. Those harvested organs are used in transplants within China and are trafficked overseas.”
Sens. Cruz and Merkley introduced the bipartisan “Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act” on March 5, 2026.
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