Today, I have signed into law S. 3744, the "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020" (the "Act"). The Act holds accountable perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses such as the systematic use of indoctrination camps, forced labor, and intrusive surveillance to eradicate the ethnic identity and religious beliefs of Uyghurs and other minorities in China. I note, however, that section 6(g) of the Act purports to limit my discretion to terminate inadmissibility sanctions under the Act. In some circumstances, this limitation could be inconsistent with my constitutional authorities to receive as diplomatic representatives certain foreign officials under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution. Accordingly, my Administration will treat section 6(g) of the Act as advisory and non-binding. My Administration will make appropriate efforts to comply with section 6(g) of the Act by notifying the relevant congressional committees before terminating sanctions with respect to a person under the Act, but it will not treat the provision's requirement for advance notice as binding to the extent that it interferes with the President's conduct of diplomacy.
DONALD J. TRUMP
The White House,
June 17, 2020.
NOTE: S. 3744, approved June 17, was assigned Public Law No. 116-145. An original was not available for verification of the content of this statement.
Donald J. Trump, Statement on Signing the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/342042