The Chinese people are making history right now. The recent protests against Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are unlike anything the world has seen out of China in the twenty-first century. After years of COVID-19 lockdowns, people have had enough.

But pandemic lockdowns are just the latest attempt by the CCP to suppress and control its people. For almost a decade, the government has been conducting an outright genocide of the Uyghur population in China. From labor camps to forced sterilization of Uyghur women, the human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region are rampant and the CCP must be held accountable.

That’s why, this week, I voted in favor of the Uyghur Policy Act of 2021. This bipartisan bill will force the U.S. Department of State to prioritize the response to the genocide and push back on the CCP’s efforts to silence the Uyghurs.

As the greatest force for human dignity in the world, the United States must stand up for oppressed people throughout the world. Upholding and advocating for human rights is a bipartisan goal that we can all agree on. This bill is a good step, but Congress cannot stop here.

Whether it’s demanding accountability for crimes against humanity or supporting protestors in their fight for freedom, the U.S. must push back on China.