Uyghur Policy Act of 2025

The Uyghur Policy Act of 2025 would establish a coordinated U.S. government approach to addressing human rights concerns for Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The bill would direct the Department of State to make this population a priority in its policies and programs, and to lead efforts coordinating the release of political prisoners from the region.

The legislation would provide funding through the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to support human rights advocates working on behalf of persecuted Uyghurs and minority groups. These funds would enable advocates to participate in public diplomacy forums where they could speak about human rights and religious freedom issues affecting these communities in China.

The bill would also strengthen U.S. diplomatic capacity to engage on these issues by requiring the State Department to ensure Uyghur language training is available to Foreign Service officers and that at least one Uyghur-speaking diplomat is assigned to U.S. embassies and consulates in China. This would improve the government's ability to communicate directly with and understand the situation of Uyghur communities.

The bill passed the House in April 2025 and was referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in September 2025, where it currently awaits further consideration.