(Minghui.org) The US Senate unanimously passed the Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act on September 28, 2026. Also known as S.4009, this bipartisan legislation aims to sanction those involved in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) crime of harvesting organs from Falun Gong practitioners and others targeted by the regime.
After passing the Senate, S.4009 will undergo further negotiations between the House and Senate, and will be submitted to President Trump for signature before becoming federal law. According to the provisions of the S.4009 Act, once it officially takes effect, it will have a profound impact in three areas: international human rights, diplomacy, and medical ethics.
Similar legislation has been passed in the House of Representatives, including H.R.4132 in June 2024, and H.R.1540 in May 2025. The recent passage of S.4009 in the Senate not only signifies significant bipartisan support in opposing the persecution of Falun Gong, especially the forced organ harvesting, but also reflects the efforts of countless Falun Gong practitioners in China and abroad to raise awareness of this issue over the past 20-plus years.
Introduced in March of this year by Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, this legislation was co-sponsored by 10 senators, including California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff.
Sponsors and co-sponsors of S.4009, the Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act
S.4009’s sponsors and co-sponsors include:First row (from left to right): Sponsor: Senator Ted Cruz (Republican, Texas); Original Co-sponsor: Senator Jeff Merkley (Democrat, Oregon); Additional Co-sponsors: Senator Adam Schiff (Democrat, California); and Senator Todd Young (Republican, Indiana).
Second row (from left to right): Senator Ron Johnson (Republican, Wisconsin), Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat, Oregon), Senator Mike Rounds (Republican, South Dakota), Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (Democrat, Nevada).
Third row (from left to right): Senator Roger Marshall (Republican, Kansas), Senator David McCormick (Republican, Pennsylvania), Senator Raphael Warnock (Democrat, Georgia), and Senator James Lankford (Republican, Oklahoma. (Minghui.org)
The CCP Continues to Brutally Persecute Falun Gong
“The Chinese Communist Party continues to target Falun Gong practitioners through its brutal, state-sponsored organ harvesting industry,” stated Senator Cruz in a press release on September 29. “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.
“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,” added Senator Merkley in a press release. “We must stand up for the victims of these crimes, and our bipartisan effort holds the Chinese government accountable for its abuses.”
Senator James Lankford stated that, for years, the Chinese government has been forcibly harvesting organs from people who have never given their consent, including Falun Gong practitioners. This practice of harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience is evil; the United States must clearly state that this is wrong and take appropriate countermeasures. This legislation will impose sanctions on those responsible and require reports on the operation of China’s organ transplant system. Senator Lankford will continue to stand up for the victims that the CCP is trying to ignore.
When US President Donald Trump and CCP leader Xi Jinping held formal talks at the White House on September 24, Falun Gong practitioners held a rally in front of the Navy Memorial located between the White House and the Capitol Building, calling for an end to the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong.
“I just want everyone to know that in the United States Congress, a half mile from here, there is and remains bipartisan support for religious freedom, specifically to protect the practices of the Falun Gong,” remarked Representative Pat Ryan at the rally. “I am the proud co-sponsor of the Falun Gong Protection Act, bipartisan legislation which we have passed through the United States House of Representatives with wide, strong support, signifying that the American people stand with and support the Falun Gong people in every dimension of your faith and your freedom.”
Forced Organ Harvesting Sanctioned
According to the full text available on congress.gov, S.4009 aims to impose sanctions on those involved in forced organ harvesting in China and requires the US government to further investigate related allegations.
The legislation defines “forced organ harvesting” as “the removal of one or more organs from an individual by means of coercion, abduction, deception, fraud, or abuse of power or a position of vulnerability.”
The legislation’s Findings section points out that several public and private organizations have long expressed concern about the Chinese Communist Party’s organ transplant policy and allegations of forced organ harvesting, including allegations of organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs.
The legislation also cites the US State Department’s 2023 International Religious Freedom Report, noting that civil society organizations continue to monitor reports of Chinese authorities forcing members of religious groups, particularly Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs, to act as organ donors.
The legislation states that the US government should investigate allegations of systematic forced organ harvesting in China, including cases involving Falun Gong practitioners, and condemns illegal, coercive, involuntary, or opaque organ procurement and transplantation practices, including forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience.
Those Involved in Organ Harvesting Sanctioned
The legislation stipulates that after the legislation takes effect, the President must submit a list to the relevant congressional committee within 180 days, listing foreign individuals or entities identified as “knowingly and directly engaged in” forced organ harvesting in China; the list must also be updated based on new information and at least once a year.
For individuals on the list, the legislation allows for the freezing of their assets and property interests within the United States and prohibits related transactions; individuals may also be denied visas, entry, or parole, and their existing visas may be revoked.
The legislation also explicitly states that humanitarian aid, food, medicine, and related humanitarian financial transactions are exempt from the aforementioned sanctions. The President may also grant waivers on a case-by-case basis, based on US national security interests, but must periodically report to Congress on the use of such waivers. The sanctions authorization period is five years from the enactment of the legislation.
The US Government Is Required to Submit a Formal Investigation Report
The legislation also requires the Secretary of State, within one year of its enactment, to submit a report to Congress on China’s organ transplant policies and practices, through consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and the heads of intelligence agencies.
The report must include a formal determination by the US government that the CCP implemented or has implemented systematic forced organ harvesting, and an assessment of China’s organ transplant system, organ sources, annual transplant numbers, and voluntary organ donation numbers; it also specifically requires the report to include prisoners of conscience, including Falun Gong practitioners.
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