McGovern, Jim RSS Articles

McGovern Continues Demanding Answers from DHS on El Salvador TPS

Mon, 26 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON—Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, is leading 43 colleagues in again demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security over the future of Temporary Protected Status for approximately 200,000 Salvadorans living in the United States.

In July, McGovern led 80 Members of Congress in urging DHS to extend TPS for El Salvador, warning that terminating the designation would harm the American economy and potentially return people to a country facing severe human rights and economic crises. The letter detailed deteriorating human rights conditions in El Salvador, including mass arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, deaths in custody, and reports that people deported to the country have been incarcerated upon arrival without judicial review or due process. More than three months after the lawmakers first wrote to DHS, approximately 200,000 Salvadoran TPS holders and their families remain in limbo.

“The Department of Homeland Security has had months to answer our straightforward questions. Salvadoran TPS holders should not have to live their lives wondering every day whether the government is going to rip the rug out from under them,” said McGovern.

In their follow-up letter sent on October 22, the lawmakers note that the administration failed to respond to their July letter urging an extension of TPS for Salvadorans—even as the deadline to extend the designation has come and gone.

“On July 9th, 2026, we sent the attached letter to your office urging you to extend the Temporary Protected Status designation for El Salvador. As of October 22, 2026, we have still not received a response,” the lawmakers wrote. “Since we sent that letter, the initial expiration date of the designation has passed. The Department of Homeland Security has provided no further information as to whether the TPS designation for El Salvador will be cancelled or extended. As a result, over 200,000 Salvadorans are currently living in limbo.”

Salvadoran TPS holders have lived and worked lawfully in the United States for decades. Nine out of ten participate in the U.S. workforce, contributing billions of dollars to the economy and paying approximately $1.5 billion in federal, state, and local taxes each year. More than 150,000 U.S.-citizen children have a Salvadoran TPS-holder parent in the American workforce.

“Keeping hundreds of thousands of people in this kind of legal limbo is cruel and wrong,” McGovern added. “They deserve to know whether they can keep working, supporting their families, and living in the communities they have called home for decades. Silence is not an acceptable answer.”

The full text of the October 22 follow-up letter is available here.

The July 9 letter, signed by 80 Members of Congress, is available here.

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McGovern is a leading voice on U.S. relations with El Salvador in Congress. Earlier this year, he led 27 Members of Congress in demanding information about Salvadorans deported by the United States and held incommunicado in El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison, citing serious concerns about due process, enforced disappearance, and documented abuses in Salvadoran detention facilities. Leading human rights organizations have documented mass arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances, deaths in custody, and serious due process violations under the Bukele government, some of which may constitute crimes against humanity..

McGovern has also organized multiple congressional hearings into Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s suspension of civil liberties and rule of law which has been used to target journalists, human rights defenders, trade unionists, and political opponents.

In 1989, McGovern led the investigation into the murders of 6 Jesuit Priests, their housekeeper, and her daughter in San Salvador—exposing that U.S. funding had been used to train the death squad that carried out the executions.

McGovern, Meng, Kaine, and Shaheen lead 46 Members of Congress in asking Secretary Rubio to combat sexual and gender-based violence

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON—Last Friday, Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, along with Representative Grace Meng (D-NY) of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues, and Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, were joined by 42 other Members of Congress in sending a letter urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to restore policy and programming to counter sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) globally.

“Congress has recognized SGBV as a national security issue and passed several pertinent bills signed into law by presidents of both parties, including President Trump,” wrote the Members of Congress. “Despite these requirements, the current Trump Administration has defunded programs, terminated staff, and eliminated the structures responsible for preventing and responding to SGBV.”

The letter notes that while Secretary Rubio has testified that he is “not abandoning women’s issues,” the Trump Administration eliminated the State Department’s Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues, failed to integrate USAID’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment office into the State Department, terminated an estimated $400 million in SGBV programs through the closure of USAID, and cancelled “Safe from the Start” award programming.

In the letter, the Members of Congress note that, “In the past year alone, conflict-related sexual violence has been employed as a tactic of war in twenty-one countries, destabilizing governance across whole regions by prompting mass displacement and eroding social cohesion. Lack of accountability for SGBV perpetuates volatility and conflict while inhibiting U.S.-led negotiations and efforts to reach durable peace.”

Specifically, the letter asks Secretary Rubio a series of questions to address:

Status of the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence; and/or plans to spend $187.5 million in Fiscal Year 2026 on such a strategy;
Enumeration of the offices and staff working on preventing and responding to SGBV as part of their job description, and of the meetings with women’s organizations and civil society working to address SGBV;
List of active and eliminated SGBV programs;
Explanation for how the Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response works to integrate SGBV prevention and response into its programming;
Status of the required report on WPS Act Implementation Act.

Other members who signed the letter include Senators Angela D. Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-OR), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), as well as Representatives Becca Balint (D-VT), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL), Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Val Hoyle (D-OR), Jonathan L. Jackson (D-IL), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Sarah McBride (D-DE), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Emily Randall (D-WA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), James R. Walkinshaw (D-VA), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), and Maxine Waters (D-CA).

The full text of the letter is available here.

McGovern Leads Push for Rubio to Center Human Rights in Upcoming U.S.-India Talks

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman James P. McGovern, Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, along with Representatives Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (IL-04), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Eleanor Norton (DC), and Ilhan Omar (MN-5), sent a letter urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to prioritize human rights in his discussions this weekend with Indian officials.

“The United States-India relationship has historically been rooted in democratic values, constitutional governance, and strong people-to-people ties,” the Members wrote. “As the world’s largest democracies and state parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the U.S. and India have an obligation to promote and defend the rights to freedom of assembly and expression.”

The lawmakers highlighted reports of mass detentions, excessive use of force, internet shutdowns, and restrictions on peaceful assembly by Indian authorities amid protests over examination irregularities, youth unemployment, and, most recently, the purge of more than 130 million people from voter rolls. They also raised concerns about reports that individuals associated with Indian diplomatic missions photographed and monitored protesters in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and San Francisco.

The lawmakers affirmed that freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, and the right to vote are fundamental democratic principles shared by the United States and India. They urged Secretary Rubio to address these concerns directly with Indian counterparts during his visit and take the following steps:

Press the Indian government to initiate thorough, transparent, and independent investigations of alleged human rights violations connected to the law enforcement response to protests;
Encourage the release of any individuals detained in contravention to Indian and international law for peacefully exercising the rights to freedom of expression and assembly;
Thoroughly investigate reports that Indian diplomatic missions engaged in the surveillance and intimidation of protesters within the United States; and
Pursuant to Section 6 of the Arms Export Control Act, assess whether India has engaged in a consistent pattern of acts of intimidation or harassment directed against individuals in the United States and is thus ineligible for arms sales.

The full text of the letter is available here.

McGovern calls for the release of detained Egyptian journalists

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA) released the following statement calling for the release of detained Egyptian journalists:

“As the Democratic Co-Chair of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, I condemn the arrest of six journalists affiliated with the independent investigative journalism platform Matsadaash and call on the government of Egypt to release them immediately.

"On September 28, Egyptian security forces raided the homes of and arrested Mohamed Ashraf Abu Emeira and Abdullah Qadri, both of whom are editors at Matsadaash. Later that day, Egyptian state security arrested four additional journalists, Islam Barakat, Omar Helal, Mohamed Mahmoud, and Mohamed Adel, constituting the entirety of the newsroom. Authorities have not publicly issued charges against the journalists or justification for their arrest.

"This comes after the Trump Administration shamefully released $320 million in military aid to Egypt which had been withheld due to human rights concerns.

"Matsadaash has repeatedly been targeted by Egyptian authorities for its open-source investigative reporting. The recent arrest of its newsroom represents an alarming escalation of repression against independent media and freedom of expression in Egypt, particularly as some of the detainees report having been tortured. Pursuant to its obligations as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture, Egypt must respect the rights of its citizens to freedom of expression and freedom from arbitrary detention and torture.

"As a partner in the Defending Freedoms Project, which campaigns to free prisoners of conscience around the world, I demand that the Egyptian government release the six detained journalists immediately. I also call on authorities to refrain from further targeting of members of the Matsadaash platform and other press workers.”

McGovern, Ramirez lead 17 Members of Congress in asking Secretary Rubio to support international investigation of massacre of Honduran peasant farmworkers

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, along with Representative Delia Ramirez (D-IL) and 15 other House Members sent a letter urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to advocate with the government of Honduras for justice for the victims of a May 2026 massacre of peasant farmworkers and for a just resolution of land disputes.

“Peace, stability, the rule of law, respect for human rights, and sustainable economic development in Honduras are firmly in the strategic interests of the United States,” wrote Representatives McGovern, Ramirez, and the other Members of Congress. “Violence, corruption, and impunity undermine regional stability, facilitate the expansion of criminal activity, and contribute to the conditions that drive migration.”

The letter notes that the massacre in Rigores in the Lower Aguán region of Honduras comes in the context of the new Law for the Strengthening and Protection of the Agroindustrial Sector, Energy, Tourism, Livestock, and Small Agricultural Producers in Honduras that appears to favor agricultural conglomerates at the expense of small-scale farmers, jeopardizing their access to arable land and sustainable work.

In the letter, the Members of Congress affirm they “believe that the United States government must support meaningful action to prevent further violence and promote accountability,” and ask that the State Department make the following requests of the Honduran government:

Establish, in coordination with the UN, an international investigative commission, with the participation of local and national stakeholders, to identify all those responsible for the Rigores massacre at every level;
Provide the Public Prosecutor’s Office with the resources and political will necessary to dismantle criminal organizations operating in the Lower Aguán region and ensure that all forms of collaboration, protection, or collusion involving state agents are identified, investigated, and prosecuted; and
Pursue comprehensive and sustainable solutions to land and territorial struggles that address their structural and historical causes, uphold the rule of law, and contribute to a more just and equitable future for all Hondurans.

The 15 other members who signed the letter include Representatives Greg Casar (D-TX), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Summer Lee (D-PA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Paul Tonko (D-NY).

The full text of the letter is available here.

A Spanish translation of the letter is available here.

A Spanish translation of this press release is available here.

McGovern & Malliotakis Applaud Passage of Bipartisan Medically Tailored Meals Bill from Ways & Means Committee

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) applauded the recent passage of bipartisan legislation he introduced with Representative Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), H.R. 5439 - Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program Pilot Act, out of the House Ways and Means Committee.

For seniors living with chronic illnesses, access to nutritious food tailored to their medical needs can help them manage their conditions and improve their health. Similar programs have already shown promise in Massachusetts and across the country by providing meals designed by registered dietitians for patients with conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and kidney disease.

The legislation creates a 6-year Medicare pilot program at 40 hospitals to deliver medically tailored meals, in partnership with trusted community-based providers, for Medicare beneficiaries who live at home and have a diet-impacted disease like diabetes or heart failure after they leave the hospital. The meals are medically tailored, meaning they are designed by nutritionists to accommodate the specific health needs of a patient. The legislation is budget neutral with no additional cost to taxpayers.

"For years, I’ve traveled across Massachusetts and the country learning from experts about how we can help improve nutrition and health outcomes. Incredible providers like Community Servings in Boston, God’s Love We Deliver in New York City, and many others from coast to coast have taught me about the life-saving benefits of Medically Tailored Meals (MTMs),” said Rep. McGovern. “You can’t be healthy if you’re hungry—and that’s why I'm proud to author this legislation with Rep. Malliotakis to improve health outcomes, reduce hospital visits, and save billions of dollars in healthcare spending. It’s a big step forward in our fight for a country where no one goes to bed hungry and everyone has access to the affordable, quality healthcare they deserve.”

“I’m pleased to see our bipartisan Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Program Pilot Act pass the Ways and Means Committee to help seniors who have difficulty shopping or cooking on their own receive healthy meals,” said Rep. Malliotakis. "For seniors living with serious chronic illnesses, access to nutritious meals tailored to their medical needs can help them better manage their conditions, stay healthier at home and avoid unnecessary hospital visits. This pilot will allow us to measure the results and determine how we can improve outcomes for seniors while potentially lowering healthcare costs for taxpayers.”

Now that the legislation has been approved by the committee, it can advance to the House floor for a vote. Both lawmakers will continue working to get the bill across the finish line and signed into law before the end of the year.

McGovern, Merkley, Duckworth, Walkinshaw Urge Trump Administration: Do Not Deport People Back to Persecution and Torture in China

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON—Yesterday, Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), along with Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Representative James R. Walkinshaw (D-VA), sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling on the Trump Administration to protect people who have fled repression in China and could face persecution or torture if they are sent back.

McGovern, Merkley, Duckworth, and Walkinshaw all serve on the CECC—a congressional commission that monitors and documents human rights violations in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

In the letter, the lawmakers called on the U.S. government to stop the practice of detaining at-risk individuals, release those currently in detention, prohibit them from being deported to the PRC, and give fair and timely consideration of their applications for asylum.

“Many people who have fled persecution in the PRC come to the United States with an expectation that they can find refuge,” the Members wrote. “They should be given every opportunity to apply for asylum if they have not yet done so and given fair and timely consideration of such application for asylum or other protection. Under no circumstances should at-risk individuals be deported to the PRC.”

The Members also made the letter public so immigration attorneys and advocates can use it in cases involving Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, Tibetans and others who fear persecution if returned to China.

“There are likely many more detainees at ICE facilities, perhaps lacking representation, who fear deportation to a country run by a government that seeks to do them harm,” the Members continued. “There are perhaps others who have already been sent back to the PRC who are now experiencing persecution, torture or worse. Thus, we see value in making this letter and its message public.”

The letter notes that the U.S. government deporting an individual to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened (also known as “refoulement”) would violate both United States and international law, and would also be a betrayal of that promise by then-Senator Marco Rubio to provide refuge to those subject to the repression of the Chinese Communist Party, when he introduced the Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act and the Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act.

The full text of the letter is available here.

McGovern, Warren, Pressley Tout Historic New Law to Combat High Cost of Housing in America

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WORCESTER – Yesterday, Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, alongside Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) visited the Worcester YMCA to discuss the historic 21^st Century ROAD to Housing Act and how the new law will make it easier to build new housing, lower housing costs, and—for the first time ever—counter private equity from buying single-family homes.

The lawmakers also discussed the development of Grandfamily Villages, an effort by Senior Connection to provide affordable housing for seniors and their families in Worcester. They heard from families and community leaders about what more can be done to address the housing crisis in Massachusetts.

“The ROAD to Housing Act is a big deal for communities across the country,” said Congressman McGovern. “Everywhere I go, I hear from families struggling to find housing they can afford. I’m grateful to Senator Warren for her leadership in getting this important legislation passed. This is going to make a real difference for people across the Commonwealth and throughout the country. I’m also proud to be working alongside amazing partners like Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on our Grandfamily Housing Act to make sure grandparents raising grandchildren have the support they need. These grandparents stepped up for their families, and we need to step up for them, too. That’s what the Grandfamily Village is all about, and I’ll keep fighting to get projects like this across the finish line.”

“America is in a housing crisis, and it’s hitting families hard here in Massachusetts. I’m proud to have worked with Congresswoman Pressley and Congressman McGovern to pass the biggest housing bill in decades into law,” said Senator Warren. “This new law will help lower housing costs and for the first time ever stop private equity from buying up single family homes. Thanks to the leadership of Congresswoman Pressley, the new law also includes an Innovation Fund which will help our state build more housing and upgrade our infrastructure. This is one step forward. We have much more work to do to lower costs for Massachusetts families.”

“I’m proud to work with Senator Warren and Ranking Member Waters to deliver this historic housing package to support safe, stable, and accessible housing for families in Massachusetts and throughout the country,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “The ROAD to Housing Act and my four bills within it will bring essential relief to Americans struggling amid Trump’s housing and affordability crises—and I’ll keep pushing to pass our Grandfamily Housing Act without delay. Every individual, family, and grandfamily deserves a place of refuge, rest, and peace. It’s time that we treat housing like human right that it is.”

Other participants of the roundtable included: State Senator Robyn Kennedy, State Representative David LeBoeuf, Worcester City Manager Eric Batista, Moses Dixon, President & CEO, Senior Connection, Joanne Calista, CEO, Center for Health Impact, and several grandparents raising their grandchildren.

McGovern has worked for years to support grandparents raising grandchildren and address the unique housing challenges facing grandfamilies.

He recently secured $1.2 million in federal funding for a Grandparents Raising Grandkids Resource Center in Worcester to help connect grandparent-led households throughout central Massachusetts with housing, transportation, health, food, education and other services.

In 2018, his bipartisan Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act was signed into law, creating a federal advisory council to identify and share resources for grandparents and other relatives raising children.

In 2019, after McGovern and Pressley held a roundtable in Worcester to hear directly from grandparents about the challenges they face, the lawmakers introduced the Grandfamily Housing Act, which would help grandfamilies access safe, affordable and age-appropriate housing and supportive services. They reintroduced the legislation in 2021, and it passed the House in 2022.

McGovern and Pressley introduced the latest version, H.R. 5916, the Grandfamily Housing Act of 2025, in November 2025.

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McGovern Introduces Big Tech Accountability Act to Protect Americans’ Privacy and Hold Tech Giants Accountable

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON—Today, Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA) introduced the Big Tech Accountability Act to protect Americans’ online privacy and personal autonomy and hold powerful technology corporations accountable for the harms caused by their platforms.

“Big Tech companies have an enormous amount of power over what we see, what we share, and what happens to our personal information—and for too long, the rules governing that power simply haven’t kept pace,” said Congressman McGovern. “These platforms should not get a free pass to exploit people’s private data or design systems that knowingly push dangerous content because outrage and division are good for business. This bill is an effort to put some reasonable guardrails in place, give people more control over their own information, and make sure enormously powerful corporations can be held accountable for the choices they make.”

A handful of Big Tech corporations have enormous influence over how Americans communicate, consume information, and participate in public life. At the same time, their business models rely heavily on collecting and monetizing personal data and using algorithms designed to keep users engaged—often by promoting increasingly inflammatory or sensational content.

The Big Tech Accountability Act provides a framework for addressing both concerns: protecting Americans from the commercial exploitation of their personal information while establishing greater accountability when technology companies actively target and amplify fraudulent disinformation, threats, or criminal violence.

The bill is backed by Free Speech For People, a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization that works to limit the influence of money in politics and protect our democracy.

“By protecting the biggest social media companies from accountability, current federal law allows them to profit with impunity from amplifying threats of violence and disinformation and exploiting personal information,” said Ben Clements, Chairman and Senior Legal Advisor of Free Speech For People. “While this model has made billions for the world’s largest corporations and their owners, it has come at a grave cost to our democracy, to the ability of government to function in the 21st Century, and to the dignity, safety, and privacy of our people. By subjecting the big social media companies to the same accountability that applies to the rest of us, the Big Tech Accountability Act is a long overdue step toward putting people, not corporations and billionaires, first.”

The Big Tech Accountability Act would establish stronger protections for Americans’ personal information and limit the ability of technology companies to exploit that information for profit. It would also create greater accountability when social media companies actively target and amplify fraudulent disinformation, threats, or criminal violence through their algorithms.

Bill text is available here.

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McGovern, Khanna, and Meeks Lead Colleagues in Demanding the Trump Administration Explain Decision to Lift Sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong Officials

Tue, 18 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON—Today, Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Raking Member of the Congressional-Commission on China, Ro Khanna, Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and six other House Members sent a letter to President Trump expressing serious concern about his decision to allow an Executive Order to lapse. The decision resulted in sanctions relief for Chinese and Hong Kong officials complicit in Beijing’s dismantling of Hong Kong’s autonomy.

“The lapse of the national emergency has already resulted in significant changes to the sanctions status of dozens of Hong Kong and Beijing officials, and it raises serious questions about the durability of U.S. policy toward Hong Kong that we believe warrant a direct response from the Administration,” wrote the Members of Congress. “In effect, this amounts to a downgrade in sanctions exposure for 39 individuals, including the sitting Chief Executive and Chief Secretary of Hong Kong.”

In his first term, President Trump issued Executive Order 13936 to employ emergency authorities to strip Hong Kong of its preferential trade and export-control treatment it had previously enjoyed as a distinct customs territory and authorize sanctions against individuals. In July 2026, President Trump declined to renew the Executive Order, thereby lifting sanctions on key individuals and sending a signal that the loss of Hong Kong’s autonomy is no longer a major concern for the U.S. government.

“We are also concerned about the circumstances surrounding this decision. The PRC’s Ministry of Commerce has publicly stated that the non-renewal implements understandings reached during the U.S.-PRC economic and trade consultations in Madrid, and that the United States made commitments concerning Hong Kong and investment-related issues during those talks,” wrote the Members of Congress. “If accurate, this would mean that sanctions relief for officials responsible for prosecuting pro-democracy activists was used as a bargaining chip in unrelated trade negotiations.”

The Members requested answers from the President about the decision, including justification for easing sanctions on complicit individuals, whether the decision was part of any quid-pro-quo with PRC officials, and whether the Administration is committed to securing the release of publisher and prominent pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.