Todd Bishop
The US Senate passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act and the Protect Hong Kong Act. Due to the different versions of the two houses, the House of Representatives voted on the Senate version on November 20, and finally passed the big ratio. The bill was signed or rejected by President Trump.
Some Members have voted. The Hong Kong Bill of Rights on Human Rights and Democracy finally won 417 votes in favor and 1 vote against the majority. After the “Protection of Hong Kong Act”, it was also unanimously approved by 417 votes in favor and 0 votes against. Bloomberg quoted a congressional assistant as saying that Trump could sign or veto the fastest local time on the 21st. The report also quoted people familiar with the matter, Trump plans to sign the bill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that Congress has sent a clear message to the world that the United States stands with the people of Hong Kong who love freedom and fully supports the people of Hong Kong to fight for freedom.
After the House of Representatives passed the Hong Kong Bill of Rights on Human Rights and Democracy, if President Trump signs officially become law, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo needs to confirm that Hong Kong has sufficient autonomy at least once a year to qualify for a special status in trade. The bill also allows the United States to sanction officials who violate human rights in Hong Kong. The bill was promoted by Republican Senator Marco Rubio.
The Protection of Hong Kong Act sets out the prohibition of exporting specific crowd control tools to the Hong Kong Police, including tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and stun guns. The bill was promoted by Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley.
The White House has not responded to whether Trump will sign the bill. Some US officials recently said that there is still no decision yet, but since the bill was unanimously passed by the Republican-controlled Senate, Trump’s veto of the bill is also difficult.
After the Senate passed the bill, Pelosi issued a statement saying that the Senate had joined the House of Representatives to pass the Hong Kong Bill of Rights on Human Rights and Democracy. When Hong Kong people woke up, they learned that the US Congress was travelling with Hong Kong people in the struggle for democracy and the rule of law in Hong Kong. A Pelosi spokesperson later revealed that the House of Representatives would be scheduled to review the Senate version.
