{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.budd.senate.gov/2023/10/27/budd-tillis-to-introduce-bill-to-combat-persecution-of-religious-groups-in-china/", "Budd, Tillis to Introduce Bill to Combat Persecution of Religious Groups in China", "2023-10-27", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "NC", "Ted Budd", "B001305", "www.budd.senate.gov", "budd", "https://www.budd.senate.gov/category/news/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 To coincide with International Religious Freedom Day, Senators Ted Budd (R-NC) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced that they intend to introduce the Combatting the Persecution of Religious Groups in China Act. The companion bill in the House is led by Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO).\n\nThe bill would hold senior Chinese government officials accountable for carrying out persecution of Christians and other religious minorities by:\n\nDeclaring that the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities by senior Chinese government officials to be gross violation of human rights.\n\nEnsuring that trade negotiations with China include conditions on protecting religious freedom.\n\nDeclaring that it is the policy of the United States to continue to designate China as a \u201ccountry of particular concern\u201d, as long as they continue to engage in violations of religious freedom.\n\nThe legislative text of the bill is HERE.\n\nWatch this video to learn more:\n\nSen. Budd said in a statement:\n\n\u201cOne of the most sacred human rights is the right to freely practice your religion. The Chinese government has violated these rights for decades by routinely and egregiously persecuting Christians and other religious groups. Until China changes course, it should be the policy of the United States to hold them accountable.\u201d\n\nSenator Tillis said:\n\n\u201cThe Chinese government has an abysmal human rights record and has persecuted its citizens for practicing their own religious beliefs for far too long. I am proud to co-chair the Senate Human Rights Caucus and participate in the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission\u2019s Defending Freedom Project by advocating for prisoners of conscience in China including Pastor John Cao and Pastor Wang Yi. The United States should work to hold China accountable and take China\u2019s blatant disregard for religious freedom into consideration when conducting any future business or trade negotiations.\u201d\n\nRep. Alford said:\n\n\u201cIn the face of the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s deliberate attempts to persecute and control religious groups and traditions, we must stand unwavering in our commitment to safeguard the sanctity of faith. The \u2018Sinicization of Religion\u2019 threatens every individual who believes in the fundamental right to religious freedom. With this bill, we send a clear message: the United States will not stand idly by while religious freedoms are under attack.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.budd.senate.gov/2023/10/27/budd-tillis-to-introduce-bill-to-combat-persecution-of-religious-groups-in-china/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0946688707917929, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}