A Legislator's Perspective: Senator Chuck Grassley

Senator Charles (Chuck) Grassley is a United States senator who has held Iowa’s seat since 1981. Grassley was first elected to the Senate in 1980 and has been reelected seven times. He is the longest-serving Republican in Congressional history and the sixth-longest-serving U.S. senator in history.

Before becoming a senator, Grassley served eight terms in the Iowa House of Representatives (1959–1975) and three in the United States House of Representatives (1975–1981). Upon Patrick Leahy's retirement in January 2023, Grassley became the most senior member of the Senate. At 90 years of age, Grassley is the oldest sitting United States senator. He is the president pro tempore emeritus of the United States Senate.

When it comes to U.S. foreign policy, Senator Grassley has a long history of concern for international religious freedom, whether it was smuggling Bibles into the Soviet Union and advocating for the right of Soviet Jews persecuted for their faith to emigrate in the 1980s, to more recently pressuring China to end its repression of religious minorities. 

In 2018, Senator Grassley joined a group of bipartisan colleagues in introducing the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act in response to the gross violations of human rights in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

“China must be held accountable for its increasing persecution of religious minorities,” Grassley said. “No matter where they live, everyone should be able to freely express their religious beliefs free from government intimidation and coercion. The United States can and must apply significant pressure to Chinese leaders by linking the need for religious freedom to the economic and political aspects of our bilateral relationship that are important to China.”

In 2023, Senator Grassley again joined a group of bipartisan colleagues to endorse the Uyghur Policy Act of 2023, to make funds available to human rights advocates working on behalf of Uyghurs and members of other persecuted minority groups from the XUAR. 

In another bill, S.3017, Senator Grassley is pushing to codify U.S. policy to push the World Bank to graduate China, making it no longer eligible for loans. Regarding the bill, Grassley said, “The United States is the largest contributor to the World Bank. U.S. taxpayer dollars should not be furthering the aims of a major geopolitical foe that is repressing its people.”

What role do you believe the United States should play in addressing the situation facing the Uyghurs in the US, as well as in China?

The United States must hold China accountable for its persecution of Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities. The U.S. government should make crystal clear that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) atrocities have not gone unnoticed by continuing to apply diplomatic pressure on the CCP.

Sadly, Uyghur persecution has persisted even outside the borders of the People’s Republic of China. I’ve heard from Uyghurs living in the United States who are still subjected to harassment by the CCP, including through surveillance and threats. The United States must do everything in our power to protect the Uyghurs in our jurisdiction. Finally, we must ensure that we are not inadvertently contributing to the CCP’s enslavement of Uyghurs by importing items made through Uyghur slave labor.

Are there specific legislative actions or policies you are currently advocating for to address the Uyghur genocide?

In 2018, I joined a group of bipartisan senators in introducing the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act. Our historic bill was the first piece of legislation in the world regarding Uyghurs to ever become law. The law requires the U.S. government to regularly report on Uyghur human rights abuses and issue sanctions against the offending entities. Since then, I’ve kept up the drumbeat to hold China accountable for its genocide of the Uyghur people.

I’ve also worked to keep Chinese propaganda out of our K-12 classrooms and higher education system. The United States must be diligent in our efforts to prevent the CCP from further promoting its discrimination and lies.

What steps can be taken to ensure that multinational corporations are not inadvertently complicit in human rights abuses against the Uyghur people?

Any company doing business in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region should know that its supply chain likely relies on Uyghur slave labor. Thanks to congressional action in 2021, there are now laws on the books to prevent the importation of products made by slave labor in Xinjiang. The executive branch must work diligently to follow the letter of the law and ensure companies clean up their supply chains, in order to prevent goods produced by slave labor from making their way into the U.S. marketplace.

Do you believe there is bipartisan support for addressing the Uyghur crisis, and if so, how can this be leveraged to enact meaningful change?

Yes, there is bipartisan consensus that the CCP is committing genocide against Uyghurs. Both the Trump and Biden administrations have acknowledged this genocide. All major pieces of legislation to crack down on Uyghur human rights abuses have passed with bipartisan support. Additionally, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which focuses explicitly on the CCP and its human rights abuses, is represented by bipartisan, bicameral members.

What measures do you propose to hold Chinese officials accountable for human rights abuses against the Uyghur population?

The Global Magnitsky Act is a powerful tool to sanction human rights offenders. It authorizes the U.S. government to freeze violators’ assets and bans them from entering the U.S. The U.S. should leverage Magnitsky sanctions against officials that are responsible for, of complicit in, human rights abuses against Uyghurs.

How can the United States collaborate with other countries and international organizations to address the Uyghur crisis?

The United States should coordinate sanctions with our allies to ensure that China’s other major trading partners place similar import restrictions on the CCP. It’s also important that the U.S. and fellow leaders on the global stage stand united in our condemnation of the CCP’s human rights abuses.

I am speaking with my history department about adding a few lessons into our curriculum about Uyghur history. Would you be willing to propose a bill which integrates Uyghur studies into public school history classes who study ancient China?

Education curriculum is a state and local responsibility in the United States, so it can’t be legislated at the federal level. However, as a history lover myself, I encourage you to keep learning and spreading the word about the Chinese Communist Party’s atrocities.

How can ordinary citizens support efforts to address human rights abuses against the Uyghur population?

The first step is to be aware of the ongoing situation and understand which companies or products are most likely to use Uyghur forced labor. Further, citizens should always stay in touch with their elected officials and advocate for the causes close to their hearts - including the plight of the Uyghur people.