{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.budd.senate.gov/2026/07/01/budd-joins-risch-shaheen-and-colleagues-in-releasing-bipartisan-statement-pushing-back-on-chinas-ethnic-unity-law/", "Budd Joins\u00a0Risch, Shaheen, and Colleagues in Releasing\u00a0Bipartisan\u00a0Statement Pushing Back\u00a0on China\u2019s Ethnic Unity Law", "2026-07-01", "2026", "2026-07", "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 U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) joined Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in releasing a statement ahead of the Chinese government\u2019s enactment of a law promoting \u201cethnic unity and progress.\u201d\n\nIn a joint statement, the Senators said:\n\n\u201cFor decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has denied ethnic and religious minority groups\u2014including Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Mongolians\u2014the right to self-determination, even as this internationally recognized human right remains in China\u2019s constitution. China\u2019s newly enacted Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, approved by its rubber-stamp parliament, codifies Beijing\u2019s unjust policies that increasingly seek to erase the religion, culture, and language of minority groups located both inside and outside China.\n\n\u201cIn particular, we are deeply concerned by language in the law that demands ideological compliance with the CCP, mandating that even people outside China deemed to be undermining \u2018ethnic unity and progress\u2019 by the Chinese government can be held legally responsible in China. This sweeping legislation gives Beijing near limitless authority to prosecute those who would speak out against Beijing\u2019s oppression and only continues its development of a legal framework to legitimize its transnational repression.\n\n\u201cWe will continue to push back against the CCP\u2019s efforts to undermine the sovereignty of other countries and support the internationally recognized human rights of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other ethnic and minority groups. All people deserve to have a say in their own future, preserve their culture, and freely express their religious beliefs.\u201d\n\nU.S. Senators John Curtis (R-Utah), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also joined in releasing the statement.\n\nAdditionally, the House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.-02), Select Committee Ranking Member Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), and Representative Young Kim (R-Calif.-40) joined as well.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-14T07:08:55Z", "2026-07-14T07:10:52Z"]], "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/2026/07/01/budd-joins-risch-shaheen-and-colleagues-in-releasing-bipartisan-statement-pushing-back-on-chinas-ethnic-unity-law/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8748038671910763, "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"}