Letter laments that Rubio is cutting support to groups that aided his legislative profile, including their Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
***Text of Letter Here (PDF)***
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking him to restore funding to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that monitor and advocate for human rights in China. The letter appeals to Secretary Rubio as a former Chair (2017-2018) of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)—a bipartisan and bicameral body that monitors human rights and rule of law in the People’s Republic of China—which Representative McGovern (2019-2020) and Senator Merkley (2021-2022) have both also served as Chairs for.
“We ask you, both as Members of Congress who want the United States to continue to be a visible champion of human rights and rule of law in China, and as former partners on the CECC, to take immediate action to end the funding freeze so that organizations working on China human rights can continue to receive support from the U.S. government and the American people,” wrote Senator Merkley and Representative McGovern.
The CECC relies extensively on the research and reporting by NGOs now being forced to lay off staff and curtail operations due to Secretary Rubio’s funding freeze. The letter highlights the breadth of China-focused legislation promoted by then-Senator Rubio based on the work of NGOs he is now defunding. Along with current Co-chair Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Merkley, McGovern, and then-Senator Rubio authored the landmark Ley de prevención del trabajo forzoso uigur, a product made possible by the work of the CECC.
The letter notes that Secretary Rubio’s withdrawal of support adds to the risks these organizations already face from the Chinese government and Communist Party, including cyberattacks, surveillance, intimidation, and transnational repression on U.S. soil.
El texto completo de la carta es available here.
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