Congress Passes Resolutions Urging Trump to Press Xi on Political Prisoners

Both chambers approved resolutions calling for the release of faith leaders and others currently imprisoned by Beijing.

Published: 5/14/2026, 2:51:53 AM EDT

Congress Passes Resolutions Urging Trump to Press Xi on Political Prisoners — The U.S. Capitol building on April 29, 2026. (Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times)

The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate on Wednesday passed resolutions urging President Donald Trump to confront Chinese leader Xi Jinping on political prisoners currently held in state custody by China.

The House measure passed in a 414–0 vote.

H.Res. 1259, introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), cochair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, names five individuals who he said were “unfairly punished” by Beijing for exercising freedom of speech and religion.

“Shamefully, the People’s Republic of China currently detains thousands of political and religious prisoners, which include American citizens and the family members of U.S. nationals,” Smith previously told The Epoch Times.

He said the resolution calls out the Chinese regime’s “abysmal record of human rights abuses and arbitrary detentions” and urges Trump to raise these concerns at the upcoming meeting.

The five individuals named in the House resolution include Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, Jimmy Lai, and Dr. Gulshan Abbas.

In May last year, Gao, pastor and founder of a house church called Light of Zion Church, was detained at his home and accused of “using superstitious activities to undermine the implementation of law,” his son Gao Pu told The Epoch Times.

Two months later, his wife, Pang, another church leader, was also detained. The resolution notes that she has since been “denied access to critical prescription medication.”

In October 2025, Jin, founder of another house church known as Zion Church, was detained at his home as part of a broader operation by Chinese authorities that also led to the detention of nearly 30 pastors and church members.

Abbas has been imprisoned for nearly 3,000 days, and her detention is widely believed to be linked to her sister Rushan Abbas’s human rights advocacy activities in the United States.

The Senate also passed a measure calling on Trump to prioritize the release of the five individuals named in the House resolution.

Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) issued a joint statement on the resolution, which they sponsored in the Senate. It passed unanimously.

“The Chinese Communist Party is an authoritarian regime that jails dissidents, silences religious believers, and violates basic freedoms," Cruz said. "The Senate’s passage of this bipartisan resolution underscores that America will continue fighting to secure the release of those wrongfully detained and hold the CCP accountable for these detentions.”

Durbin echoed the sentiment, saying, “No one should fear for their lives or suffer political imprisonment for standing up for democracy and freedom.

"While the Chinese have ... made some important gestures, it’s time for the immediate release of [the prisoners]," Durbin said. "Now that this resolution has passed the Senate, I urge President Trump to raise their cases with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his current visit to China.”

Eva Fu and Frank Fang contributed to this report.

From The Epoch Times