U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Ted Budd, Tim Kaine, Colleagues Advocate for Release of Religious Prisoners Held in China

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and a bipartisan group of their colleagues this week led a bipartisan letter to President Trump encouraging the administration to continue raising concerns with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) at this week’s meeting in Washington, D.C., on the persecution of religious groups in China, specifically pastors and religious minorities being unjustly held simply because of their faith. “The United States should continue to promote international religious freedom by calling on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to end its harassment and persecution of members of religious organizations, unconditionally release all unjustly detained political prisoners imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of religious belief, and ensure that detainees who have not yet been released are treated humanely,” wrote the Senators. The letter highlights the persecution of ethnic and religious minority groups such as Tibetan Buddhists, Christians, Uyghur Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners. In May, President Trump successfully secured the release of Pastor Ezra Jin following conversations with President Xi Jinping at the U.S.-China Summit in Beijing. In this letter, senators are now urging President Trump to specifically raise the cases of Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, Pastor Tang Bingyi of Light of Zion Church, and the eight remaining members of Zion Church—Gao Yingjia, Wang Lin, Yin Huibin, Wang Zhong, Wang Cong, Liu Zhenbin, Lin Shucheng, and Wu Qiuyu at the U.S.-China Summit in Washington. You can read the full text of the letter here . Senator Britt is a proud champion of religious freedom and believes it is an unalienable, God-given right. In March of 2026, the Senator advocated for the release of Pastor Ezra Jin who was detained by the PRC and supported a previous successful effort to free 13 Christians who were wrongfully persecuted by the Nicaraguan regime, saying, “Those who dedicate their lives to preaching the Gospel and advancing God’s Kingdom should be celebrated, not persecuted.” ###