The US Senate has unanimously passed bipartisan legislation aimed at sanctioning foreign individuals involved in forced organ harvesting in China, while requiring the American government to investigate allegations involving prisoners of conscience, including practitioners of Falun Gong. The measure now moves to the House of Representatives.
By Open Chronicle with agencies | September 30, 2026
WASHINGTON — The United States Senate has unanimously passed legislation designed to impose sanctions on individuals responsible for or involved in forced organ harvesting in China, advancing a measure that would also require a comprehensive American assessment of China’s organ transplantation system.
The Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act, designated S.4009, passed the Senate by unanimous consent on September 28.
The bipartisan legislation now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.
If enacted, it would establish sanctions against foreign individuals determined to have knowingly and directly participated in forced organ harvesting in China or facilitated the practice.
Sanctions would target individuals involved in organ harvesting
The legislation establishes financial and immigration penalties for individuals found to have participated in or facilitated forced organ harvesting.
Those sanctioned could be denied entry into the United States or have existing American visas revoked.
Property and transactions under US jurisdiction could also be blocked.
The legislation additionally establishes criminal penalties for violations of the sanctions framework, potentially including prison sentences of up to 20 years and fines reaching $1 million.
The measures are intended to create personal consequences for individuals connected to abuses rather than applying sanctions solely against institutions.
US government would investigate allegations
The legislation goes beyond sanctions by requiring the American government to investigate allegations surrounding China’s organ transplantation system.
The bill specifically calls for examination of incidents involving Falun Gong practitioners.
It states that the United States should condemn illegal, coercive, nonconsensual or nontransparent organ procurement and transplantation practices, including forced organ harvesting involving prisoners of conscience.
The Secretary of State would be required to submit a report to Congress within one year after the legislation becomes law.
That assessment would examine China’s transplantation practices and policies and make a formal determination concerning allegations that systematic forced organ harvesting is taking place.
Investigation would examine the source of transplant organs
The proposed State Department assessment would examine several aspects of China’s transplant system.
Among them would be the sources of organs used for transplant surgery, the amount of time patients wait for organs and government policies affecting prisoners of conscience.
The investigation would specifically consider the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners.
If the US government determines that forced organ harvesting is occurring on a significant scale, officials would also be required to assess whether the practice constitutes an atrocity under applicable standards.
The legislation therefore seeks to establish a formal American government assessment of allegations that have circulated for years among human rights organisations, investigators and Falun Gong advocates.
Falun Gong at the centre of allegations
Falun Gong is a spiritual and meditation practice that became widely popular in China during the 1990s and emphasises principles commonly translated as truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.
Estimates cited by supporters and researchers have placed the number of practitioners in China at between 70 million and 100 million by 1999.
Chinese authorities began a nationwide campaign against the movement that year.
The Falun Dafa Information Center estimates that millions of practitioners may have been detained during the subsequent decades.
Independent investigators and advocates have alleged that detained Falun Gong practitioners became a major source of victims of forced organ harvesting.
A 2019 independent tribunal examining allegations of forced organ harvesting in China concluded that the practice had occurred over a substantial period and identified Falun Gong practitioners as a principal group affected.
The Chinese government has rejected allegations that it systematically harvests organs from prisoners of conscience.
Ted Cruz calls practice an assault on human rights
Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, one of the leading sponsors of the legislation, worked with Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon to advance the measure.
Cruz described the legislation as a response to serious allegations of religious persecution and human rights violations.
“The Chinese Communist Party continues to target Falun Gong practitioners through its brutal, state sponsored organ harvesting industry,” Cruz said.
“These atrocities are an assault on religious liberty and fundamental human rights.”
The legislation currently has 11 cosponsors, according to the information provided.
Its unanimous passage in the Senate reflects bipartisan concern over allegations surrounding China’s transplantation system.
House previously approved related legislation
The House of Representatives passed an earlier version of legislation addressing the issue in May 2025.
The Senate subsequently broadened the measure, including provisions involving the US intelligence community in the investigation.
Because the Senate version differs from the legislation previously approved by the House, further congressional action is required before the measure can reach the president.
The latest Senate vote nevertheless moves the initiative significantly closer to becoming federal law.
Intelligence community could contribute to assessment
One of the significant elements added during Senate consideration is greater involvement by the American intelligence community.
That could allow information beyond publicly available evidence to contribute to the government’s assessment of China’s transplantation system.
The resulting investigation would seek to establish a more authoritative picture of how organs are obtained, how transplantation waiting times operate and whether prisoners of conscience are being used as involuntary organ sources.
Such an assessment could influence future American sanctions and human rights policy toward China.
Falun Gong spokesperson welcomes Senate action
Erping Zhang, a spokesperson for Falun Gong, welcomed the Senate’s passage of the legislation.
“S. 4009 recognizes that this is not simply a human rights concern, it raises fundamental questions about accountability, transparency, and the protection of vulnerable people,” Zhang said.
He highlighted provisions requiring a comprehensive American assessment of China’s transplantation system and an examination of the treatment of prisoners of conscience.
“An issue of this magnitude deserves a clear and authoritative assessment based on evidence,” he said.
Zhang said the legislation would demonstrate that the United States opposes forced organ harvesting and other forms of transnational human rights abuse.
“This is ultimately about a simple principle: no person should be persecuted, imprisoned, or killed so that their organs can be taken for transplantation,” he said.
Bill now moves to the House
The next stage will take place in the House of Representatives, where lawmakers must consider the Senate version of the legislation.
If Congress ultimately approves identical legislation and it becomes law, the measure would establish both an accountability mechanism and an investigative framework.
Individuals determined to have participated in forced organ harvesting could face financial sanctions, restrictions on entering the United States and potential criminal consequences for sanctions violations.
At the same time, the State Department and other parts of the US government would be required to examine the evidence surrounding China’s transplantation system and report their findings to Congress.
The Senate’s unanimous vote does not itself establish that every allegation described in the legislation has been proven. Instead, the measure seeks to require the US government to investigate those allegations formally, determine whether systematic forced organ harvesting is occurring and establish consequences for individuals found responsible.
With Senate approval secured, the legislation now returns the issue to the House as Congress considers whether to create one of the most comprehensive American legal frameworks yet directed at allegations of forced organ harvesting in China.