A bill that would sanction perpetrators of state-sponsored forced organ harvesting in China advanced through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 17.
The “Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act” would direct the U.S. government to compile a list of foreign individuals deemed to have knowingly and directly engaged in or facilitated forced organ harvesting in China.
Those listed would be blocked from transactions with any U.S. persons or entities, and see their U.S. properties frozen. The sanction would also bar the individuals from gaining entry to the United States, invalidate their current visa, and disqualify them from receiving immigration benefits.
The bill, first introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) in March, recently gained support from Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) as well as Todd Young (R-Ind.).
A version of the bill passed the House in May 2025.
“I hope we can really increase world awareness of this terrible practice,” Merkley told reporters after the committee vote.
The lawmakers on June 15 amended the legislation, adding a section detailing persistent concerns from public and private organizations as well as the ongoing lack of transparency from China.
It cited the 2023 State Department international religious freedom report, highlighting fears of religious groups, particularly Falun Gong practitioners and ethnic Uyghurs, that they could become victims. The same report also referenced a New York City Bar Association report that found “ample evidence China continues to engage in forced organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience.”
The Chinese regime has failed to provide a “full, credible, and independently verifiable response” on the matter, and the U.S. authorities have yet to issue a formal assessment on the allegations, the bill noted.
It asks the U.S. government to investigate the issue, including incidents involving Falun Gong practitioners, and condemn “illegal, coercive, non-consensual, or non-transparent organ procurement and transplantation practices.”
The measure also orders the State Department to submit a report on China’s organ transplantation policies and practices, in consultation with the secretary of Health and Human Services, the director of the National Institutes of Health, and relevant leaders of the intelligence community.
The report would make a formal determination on whether Beijing engages or formerly engaged in systematic forced organ harvesting, provide a summary of the organ transplantation policies, including regarding Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience or victims of the abuse.
Other details include the known or estimated number of organ transplants by year, voluntary donor data, organ source and procurement time assessment, whether the timetable seems realistic, and a list of U.S. grants over the prior decade supporting organ transplant research in China.
If the U.S. officials determine that forced organ harvesting has taken place in China, they would also make a determination on whether the conduct within China constitutes an atrocity, the June version of the bill said.
