Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02) issued the below statement after voting yes on S.1838 the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019; the Senate version of H.R. 3289 and titled the same. S. 1838 requires sanctions to be imposed on individuals or entities responsible for human rights violations in Hong Kong and directs various departments to assess whether political developments in Hong Kong justify changing Hong Kong's unique treatment under U.S. law.

“These sanctions are justified because the Hong Kong authorities and Chinese government continue to crackdown on those protesting for freedom and the continuing encroachment by China on Hong Kong’s autonomy. As I saw the news about the university students who stood firm in their commitment to a freer society, I couldn’t help but think about the atrocities committed by China leading to the murders of over 40 million of their own citizens, their restrictions on free speech, and of the people suffering in gulags for simply believing in God.”

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