The Falun Gong and Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act, introduced on March 11, 2026, by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), would authorize sanctions on individuals who participated in forced organ harvesting and require the Secretary of State to report to Congress on the CCP’s transplant system. The legislation builds on Cruz’s 2025 Falun Gong Protection Act, reflecting growing bipartisan consensus that Beijing’s transplant industry relies on prisoners of conscience as an organ supply source.
Cruz described a state-run organ harvesting industry operated by the CCP that targets people for their beliefs. Falun Gong practitioners, he said, are considered one of the primary victim groups. He called the practice a severe violation of religious freedom and fundamental human rights, and urged the Senate to move the bill forward quickly.
Merkley said China’s ongoing repression has produced severe consequences, including allegations of forced organ harvesting from vulnerable populations. The United States, he said, must speak up for these victims and hold those responsible accountable.
Falun Gong was introduced by Mr. Li Hongzhi in China in the early 1990s and spread rapidly. Beijing outlawed the practice in 1999 and launched a nationwide persecution campaign, including mass arrests, detention in labor camps, and torture. Accounts of forced organ harvesting from detained practitioners have persisted for more than two decades, with harvested organs being used in China’s domestic transplant system and in some cases exported to international markets.
Federal Newswire reported on March 11 that the bipartisan bill aims to impose sanctions and compel the U.S. government to report on China’s transplant infrastructure.
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The bill builds on Cruz’s Falun Gong Protection Act, introduced in March 2025. Cruz has won three consecutive Texas Senate races: defeating Colin Allred in 2024 with 53.1 percent, holding off Beto O’Rourke in 2018 by a 50.9-to-48.3 margin, and winning his first race in 2012 against Paul Sadler with 56.5 percent.
