Federal Independent Agencies
Here's a look at documents from federal independent agencies
Featured Stories
Social Security I.G.: Audit Finds Social Security Processed Small Overpayments It Could Not Cost-Effectively Recover
WOODLAWN, Maryland, May 13 -- The Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General issued the following news release:
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Audit Finds Social Security Processed Small Overpayments It Could Not Cost-Effectively Recover
The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has issued an audit report finding SSA spent more to recover certain low-dollar Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) overpayments than the amounts it ultimately recovered.
The audit, Follow-up on Cost-benefit Analysis of Processing Low-dollar Overpayments, reviewed SSA's
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WOODLAWN, Maryland, May 13 -- The Social Security Administration's Office of the Inspector General issued the following news release:
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Audit Finds Social Security Processed Small Overpayments It Could Not Cost-Effectively Recover
The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has issued an audit report finding SSA spent more to recover certain low-dollar Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) overpayments than the amounts it ultimately recovered.
The audit, Follow-up on Cost-benefit Analysis of Processing Low-dollar Overpayments, reviewed SSA'sefforts to implement prior recommendations related to capturing the average cost of collecting overpayments and determining whether additional actions could improve the processing of low-dollar overpayments.
SSA previously agreed to update its methodology for calculating the average cost to collect overpayments and to reevaluate its process for pursuing overpayments when collection costs exceed the amount owed. However, as of the date of the review, SSA had not implemented those recommendations. According to SSA, establishing a new workload tracking system to address the prior recommendations would require additional resources the Agency did not currently have available.
For the current audit, OIG reviewed a sample of 250 low-dollar OASDI overpayments and found SSA took collection actions on 50 cases that auditors determined were not cost-beneficial because collection efforts likely exceeded the overpayment amounts. Auditors estimated SSA spent approximately $14,492 attempting to recover these 50 overpayments, which totaled $8,129.
Projected across the broader population, OIG estimated SSA spent approximately $4.6 million to recover nearly 16,000 low-dollar OASDI overpayments totaling about $2.6 million--roughly $2 million more than the Agency could recover.
The report also found SSA policy does not clearly specify the criteria Agency employees should use to determine when collection costs are likely to exceed recovery amounts and should therefore be suspended or terminated.
"Effective stewardship of taxpayer funds requires agencies to ensure collection efforts are cost beneficial and consistently applied," said Michelle L. Anderson, Assistant Inspector General for Audit as First Assistant. "This audit highlights the need for clearer guidance and more consistent methodologies to help SSA make informed decisions regarding low-dollar overpayments."
The audit makes recommendations for SSA to:
* Ensure consistency in methodologies used to calculate the average cost of processing overpayments;
* Take appropriate actions on identified low-dollar overpayments that are not cost-beneficial to pursue; and
* Update Agency policy to establish criteria employees should use to determine when collection actions are not cost-beneficial.
SSA agreed to implement the recommendations.
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Original text here: https://oig.ssa.gov/news-releases/2026-05-11-audit-finds-social-security-processed-small-overpayments-it-could-not-cost-effectively-recover/
NASA's Perseverance Rover Snaps Selfie in Mars' Western Frontier
PASADENA, California, May 13 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA's Perseverance Rover Snaps Selfie in Mars' Western Frontier
The agency's six-wheeled geologist took a self-portrait during its survey of an ancient landscape that may predate the formation of Jezero Crater itself.
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NASA's Perseverance Mars rover recently took a self-portrait against a sweeping backdrop of ancient Martian terrain at a location the science team calls "Lac de Charmes." Assembled from 61 individual images, the selfie shows Perseverance training its mast on a rocky outcrop
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PASADENA, California, May 13 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA's Perseverance Rover Snaps Selfie in Mars' Western Frontier
The agency's six-wheeled geologist took a self-portrait during its survey of an ancient landscape that may predate the formation of Jezero Crater itself.
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NASA's Perseverance Mars rover recently took a self-portrait against a sweeping backdrop of ancient Martian terrain at a location the science team calls "Lac de Charmes." Assembled from 61 individual images, the selfie shows Perseverance training its mast on a rocky outcropon which it had just made a circular abrasion patch, with the western rim of Jezero Crater stretching into the background. The selfie was captured on March 11, the 1,797th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, during the rover's deepest push west beyond the crater.
Perseverance is in its fifth science campaign, known as the Northern Rim Campaign, of its mission on the Red Planet. The Lac de Charmes region represents some of the most scientifically compelling terrain the rover has visited.
"We took this image when the rover was in the 'Wild West' beyond the Jezero Crater rim -- the farthest west we have been since we landed at Jezero a little over five years ago," said Katie Stack Morgan, Perseverance's project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "We had just abraded and analyzed the 'Arethusa' outcrop, and the rover was sitting in a spot that provided a great view of both the Jezero Rim and the local terrain outside of the crater."
During abrading, the rover grinds down a portion of the rock's surface, allowing the science team to analyze what's inside. The technique enabled the team to determine that the Arethusa outcrop is composed of igneous minerals that likely predate the formation of Jezero Crater. Igneous rocks with large mineral crystals form underground as molten rock cools and solidifies.
Perseverance acquired the selfie -- its sixth since landing on Mars in 2021 -- using the WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) camera mounted at the end of its robotic arm, which made 62 precision movements over approximately one hour to build the composite image (learn more about how selfies are made).
Significant science
Along with the selfie, Perseverance used Mastcam-Z, located on its mast, to capture a mosaic of the "Arbot" area in Lac de Charmes on April 5, or Sol 1882. Made of 46 images, the panorama offers one of the richest geological vistas of the mission, revealing a windswept landscape of diverse rock textures.
The image provides the team a clear road map for investigating the ridgeline and the area's ancient rock variety, including what appear to be megabreccia -- large fragments (some the size of skyscrapers) hurled by a massive meteorite impact that occurred on the plain called Isidis Planitia about 3.9 billion years ago.
"What I see in this image is excellent exposure of likely the oldest rocks we are going to investigate during this mission," said Ken Farley, Perseverance's deputy project scientist at Caltech in Pasadena. "There is a sharp ridgeline visible in the mosaic whose jagged, angular texture contrasts starkly with the rounded boulders in the foreground. We also see a feature that may be a volcanic dike, a vertical intrusion of magma that hardened in place and was left standing as the softer surrounding material eroded away over billions of years."
The rock color in the mosaic offers less information to the science team than the distinctive textures, which help them differentiate the rock types. Unlike Jezero Crater's river delta, which is composed of sedimentary rock, some rocks here appear to be extrusive igneous rocks (molten rock that reached the surface as lava flows) and impactites (rocks created or modified by a meteorite impact) believed to have formed before the crater about 4 billion years ago, offering a window into the planet's deep early crust.
New ballgame, near-marathon distance
"The rover's study of these really ancient rocks is a whole new ballgame," said Stack Morgan. "These rocks -- especially if they're from deep in the crust -- could give us insights applicable to the entire planet, like whether there was a magma ocean on Mars and what initial conditions eventually made it a habitable planet."
After studying Arethusa, Perseverance drove northwest to the Arbot area, where it has been analyzing other rocky outcrops. When the team is satisfied with the work accomplished there, the rover will drive south to "Gardevarri," a site with a notably clear exposure of olivine-bearing rocks. Formed in cooling magma, these types of rocks contain information that can help scientists better understand Mars' volcanic history and provide context for large-scale geological processes. From there, the rover is expected to head southeast toward a region the team is calling "Singing Canyon" for more insights into the planet's early crust.
After more than five years of surface operations, Perseverance has abraded 62 rocks, collected 27 rock cores in its sample tubes (25 sealed, 2 unsealed), and traveled almost 26 miles (42 kilometers) -- in other words, just shy of a marathon (26.2 miles, or 42.195 kilometers).
"Having the benefit of four previous rover missions, the Perseverance team has always known our mission was a marathon and not a sprint," said acting Perseverance project manager Steve Lee at JPL. "We've almost reached marathon distance. Our selfie may show that the rover is a bit dusty, but its beauty is more than skin deep. Perseverance is in great shape as we continue our explorations and extend into ultramarathon drive distances."
More about Perseverance
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover on behalf of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington, as part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program portfolio. The WATSON imaging system was built by, and is operated by, Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego.
For more information on NASA's Perseverance, visit:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mars-2020-perseverance
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Original text here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-snaps-selfie-in-mars-western-frontier/
Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Presents "Stories From the Field: Filipino Migrant Workers in Hawai'i"
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Smithsonian Institution Asian Pacific American Center issued the following news release:
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Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Presents "Stories from the Field: Filipino Migrant Workers in Hawai'i"
Exhibition Highlights Early Filipino Migration to Hawai'i and Its Lasting Impact
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In recognition of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC), in partnership with the Office of U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), presents "Stories from the Field: Filipino Migrant Workers in
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WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Smithsonian Institution Asian Pacific American Center issued the following news release:
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Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center Presents "Stories from the Field: Filipino Migrant Workers in Hawai'i"
Exhibition Highlights Early Filipino Migration to Hawai'i and Its Lasting Impact
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In recognition of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC), in partnership with the Office of U.S. Sen. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), presents "Stories from the Field: Filipino Migrant Workers inHawai'i," a two-week poster exhibition exploring the migration of Filipinos to Hawai'i in the early 20th century. This marks the third consecutive year of collaboration between APAC and Hirono's office to present an exhibition in the Russell Rotunda at the Russell Senate Office Building in the Capitol Complex. The exhibition will be on view from Monday, May 11-Friday, May 15, and Monday, May 18-Friday, May 22.
"We are deeply grateful for our ongoing partnership with Senator Hirono," said Yao-Fen You, APAC's acting director. "We appreciate the opportunity to share Smithsonian resources that document and celebrate the rich history and culture of AANHPI individuals and communities."
"I am proud to host this exhibition in collaboration with APAC and help share this history of the Filipino and Filipino American communities in Hawaii," Hirono said. "Throughout May, as we celebrate our communities' historic contributions, we also reaffirm our commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable future for all. This exhibition is also meaningful because 2026 marks both our nation's 250th and the 80th anniversary of the Luce-Celler Act of 1946, which granted Filipino and Indian immigrants the right to naturalize as American citizens. I will continue working to ensure that members of the AANHPI community and all people have the opportunity to live freely, and be treated with dignity and respect."
In the early 1900s, U.S. immigration policies curtailed the entry of Chinese and Japanese laborers into Hawai'i, prompting sugar plantation owners to recruit workers from the Philippines, then a U.S. territory. As U.S. nationals, Filipinos migrated more freely and became central to Hawai'i's plantation economy, comprising more than half the labor force by 1926. These workers, known as sakadas, played a vital role in shaping the islands' social and economic landscape.
The exhibition centers on the lives of two sakadas, Eusebio Maglinte and Epimaco Fariola Mansueto, tracing their journeys from the Philippines to Hawai'i and onward to the continental United States. While many Filipinos established lasting communities in Hawai'i, others moved on to the West Coast, including Stockton, California, which by the 1940s had become home to the largest Filipino community outside the Philippines.
Their stories continue in APAC's exhibition, "How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories," currently on view at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
"Stories from the Field" was curated by Ethan P. Johanson, who also served as curatorial assistant for APAC's exhibition "How Can You Forget Me."
Visiting Information
The Russell Rotunda is located in the Russell Senate Office Building (2 Constitution Ave. N.E.). Visitors should enter through the Delaware Avenue entrance (ADA accessible) at Constitution Avenue N.E. and Delaware Avenue N.E. All visitors must pass through security screening, open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (or 30 minutes after Senate adjournment).
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About the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC)
APAC, established in 1997, ensures the comprehensive representation and inclusion of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders across the Smithsonian's collections, research, exhibitions and programs. Through exhibitions, education initiatives and public programs, APAC provides new avenues to document, celebrate and share the rich and diverse history, art and culture of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. APAC's current exhibition, "How Can You Forget Me: Filipino American Stories" (on view at the National Museum of American History through Nov. 28, 2027), and its past exhibition, "Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond," are paving the way for a dedicated APAC gallery on the National Mall. For more information about the center, visit its website and follow it on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Original text here: https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/smithsonian-asian-pacific-american-center-presents-stories-field-filipino-migrant
Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission: Court Orders Phenix Lumber to Pay $2.4 Million Following Employee Fatality
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has affirmed more than $2.4 million in penalties against MDLG Inc. dba Phenix Lumber Co., Phenix City, Alabama, following a tragic workplace accident (Docket No.: 24-0405). The decision, issued by Judge Joshua R. Patrick on April 3, 2026, grants a motion for summary judgment filed by the Secretary of Labor. The ruling confirms 22 willful-serious violations, one repeat violation, and five serious violations.
The investigation began after local authorities reported that a Phenix Lumber employee died after falling into a woodchipper
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WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission has affirmed more than $2.4 million in penalties against MDLG Inc. dba Phenix Lumber Co., Phenix City, Alabama, following a tragic workplace accident (Docket No.: 24-0405). The decision, issued by Judge Joshua R. Patrick on April 3, 2026, grants a motion for summary judgment filed by the Secretary of Labor. The ruling confirms 22 willful-serious violations, one repeat violation, and five serious violations.
The investigation began after local authorities reported that a Phenix Lumber employee died after falling into a woodchipperauger while trying to clear a jam. OSHA inspectors identified numerous safety failures, specifically regarding lockout/tagout procedures--the practice of ensuring dangerous machines are properly shut off and unable to be started up again during maintenance. While the case was pending, the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and attempted to stay the proceedings. The court denied that request in 2025. Although two individuals associated with the company reached a settlement in a separate docket, MDLG, Inc. did not.
The court noted a troubling safety record at the facility. Over the last 20 years, the company received 183 final order citations across 24 separate inspections. Specifically, 71 citations involved lockout/tagout failures, and the facility was the site of another fatality in 2020 involving a different auger.
In February 2026, Phenix Lumber stipulated that it had violated the safety standards as alleged. However, the company contested the size of the penalties. Because the company failed to provide evidence or affidavits to support its claim that the fines were inappropriate, the court upheld the full amount proposed by the Secretary of Labor. The court stated that gravity is the most important factor in determining an appropriate penalty, citing the high probability of severe injury or death resulting from the company's failure to guard machinery and implement fall protection. The final order assesses a total penalty of $2,471,683. With this ruling, the trial previously scheduled for April 13, 2026, is cancelled.
-- Vidhi Gianani, Targeted News Service
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Original text here: https://www.oshrc.gov/wp-content/uploads/24-0405-MDLG-Inc.-ALJ-Decision-and-Order-on-Summary-Judgment-Final.pdf
Map: Advancing Major Infrastructure Projects
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corp.) issued the following news:
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Map: Advancing Major Infrastructure Projects
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This is a regularly updated map featuring many of Amtrak's infrastructure investments planned or already underway. To learn more about individual projects, visit AmtrakNewEra.com.
America deserves world-class infrastructure, and here at Amtrak we are doing our part. With new investments, Amtrak is transforming into a modern and efficient intercity passenger rail operator achieving historic ridership demands while leading an innovative construction
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WASHINGTON, May 12 -- Amtrak (National Railroad Passenger Corp.) issued the following news:
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Map: Advancing Major Infrastructure Projects
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This is a regularly updated map featuring many of Amtrak's infrastructure investments planned or already underway. To learn more about individual projects, visit AmtrakNewEra.com.
America deserves world-class infrastructure, and here at Amtrak we are doing our part. With new investments, Amtrak is transforming into a modern and efficient intercity passenger rail operator achieving historic ridership demands while leading an innovative constructionarm that leverages industry expertise to safely and efficiently deliver quality assets.
We're leading a strong American workforce and private-sector partners in building new bridges, tunnels, and trains to help meet the historic demand for intercity passenger rail and improve connections for millions of people in more than 500 cities, towns, and rural areas around the country.
Map last updated: May 1, 2026 | Page originally published: February 19, 2025
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Original text here: https://media.amtrak.com/2026/05/advancing-major-infrastructure-projects/
Foreign Operators and Technical Superintendent of M/V Dali Indicted for Roles in Key Bridge Crash
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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Foreign Operators and Technical Superintendent of M/V Dali Indicted for Roles in Key Bridge Crash
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Indian and Singapore Corporations and Company Official Charged with Conspiring to Defraud the United States and Causing the Death of Six Construction Workers
WASHINGTON - Today U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that two corporate entities and a shoreside superintendent face criminal charges in connection with the vessel crash that knocked
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WASHINGTON, May 12 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release:
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Foreign Operators and Technical Superintendent of M/V Dali Indicted for Roles in Key Bridge Crash
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Indian and Singapore Corporations and Company Official Charged with Conspiring to Defraud the United States and Causing the Death of Six Construction Workers
WASHINGTON - Today U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that two corporate entities and a shoreside superintendent face criminal charges in connection with the vessel crash that knockeddown the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
A federal court unsealed an indictment today charging three defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States and with causing the death of six construction workers on the bridge.
On March 26, 2024, the Motor Vessel Dali, a 900-foot foreign flag container vessel, registered in Singapore, crashed into and destroyed the Maryland bridge. The indictment alleges that the economic loss in this case is at least $5 billion.
Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, based in Chennai, India, along with Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, an Indian national who worked for both companies as the Technical Superintendent for the Dali, are charged with willfully failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition that played a role in causing the crash, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements. The two Synergy corporations were also charged with misdemeanor violations of the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act for the discharge of pollutants into the Patapsco River, including shipping containers and their contents, oil, and the bridge itself.
"The United States will not be a safe harbor for violators who pollute our nation's waterways. Today's indictment alleges that reckless cost-cutting by dishonest foreign corporations on a foreign-flagged vessel with a foreign crew carrying hazardous cargo resulted in death, disruption of our economy, and the discharge of oil and other chemicals into the Patapsco River and the Chesapeake Bay," said EPA's Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Jeffrey A. Hall. "Such tragedy must not happen again. This EPA will ensure that foreign companies do not profit off of polluting American communities. The hard work of our criminal investigators, who were among the first aboard the wrecked ship, was critical for securing this indictment, and we look forward to working with the Department of Justice to prosecute this case."
"The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a preventable tragedy of enormous consequence," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "This indictment is a critical step toward holding accountable those whose reckless disregard for maritime safety regulations caused this disaster. Six construction workers lost their lives, critical infrastructure was destroyed, pollutants were released into the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay, and the economic damage now exceeds five billion dollars. This department is committed to securing justice for the victims and ensuring those responsible are held to account."
"This indictment is the first step in our efforts to hold those accountable who caused the tragic deaths of six people and catastrophic damage to our region," said U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland. "The safety of our residents, ports, and infrastructure is of utmost importance to the prosperity of the District of Maryland. the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland will continue to pursue those who commit crimes that jeopardize those interests."
"The indictment reveals a pattern of deception and egregious violations that led to the unsafe operation of the Dali which recklessly endangered the public and resulted in the ship striking the bridge," said Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. "This indictment should send a message to all ship operators that circumventing safety requirements and breaking U.S. laws will not be tolerated. I am proud of FBI Baltimore's investigative teams who worked diligently over the last two years to find the truth and to hold those responsible accountable."
"At the core of the Coast Guard's mission is the protection of life and property and the facilitation of commerce," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Javiel Gonzalez of the Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS)'s Chesapeake Field Office. "The charges announced today reflect the Coast Guard Investigative Service's unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and integrity of our nation's maritime transportation system. This indictment alleges a reckless disregard for U.S. maritime laws and safety regulations, which had devastating consequences, leading to the tragic loss of six lives and catastrophic environmental and economic damage. Let this be a clear message: CGIS, alongside our federal law enforcement partners, will vigorously investigate and hold accountable any individual or corporation that compromises the safety of our ports and waterways."
According to the indictment, the Dali lost power twice in a four-minute span, as it navigated out to sea from the Port of Baltimore, causing it to crash into the Key Bridge. The indictment alleges that a loose wire in a high-voltage switchboard likely caused the first power loss. Critical systems on the Dali were originally designed with reliable redundancies and automatic restart capabilities, so the Dali could quickly regain power after a first blackout. But shortly after the vessel regained power, it lost power again. According to the indictment, the defendants allegedly altered the ship and relied on a flushing pump to supply fuel to two of the Dali's four generators, which caused the second loss of power. The indictment alleges that if the Dali had used the proper fuel supply pumps, the vessel would have regained power in time to safely navigate under the Key Bridge.
Synergy and Nair are also charged with obstruction of an agency proceeding and providing false statements and documents to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as it conducted a casualty investigation. The obstruction charges relate to, among other things, Nair's statements to the NTSB that he was unaware that they needed to use the flushing pump to provide fuel to the generators.
EPA's Criminal Investigation Division. the FBI, and CGIS, are investigating the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Original text here: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/foreign-operators-and-technical-superintendent-mv-dali-indicted-roles-key-bridge-crash
Commission on International Religious Freedom: China's Codification and Escalation of the "Sinicization of Religion"
WASHINGTON, May 12 -- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following fact sheet:
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China's Codification and Escalation of the "Sinicization of Religion"
Introduction
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under Xi Jinping's rule has systematically intensified its restrictions of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) through a series of laws that it recently passed and promulgated expanding its coercive "sinicization of religion" policy within and beyond China. These laws include amendments to the administrative punishments law, severe restrictions on the clergy's use
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WASHINGTON, May 12 -- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following fact sheet:
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China's Codification and Escalation of the "Sinicization of Religion"
Introduction
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under Xi Jinping's rule has systematically intensified its restrictions of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) through a series of laws that it recently passed and promulgated expanding its coercive "sinicization of religion" policy within and beyond China. These laws include amendments to the administrative punishments law, severe restrictions on the clergy's useof the internet, and a sweeping new law on "ethnic unity and progress" that will nationally codify repressive measures on all ethnic and religious groups and further impinge on their religious freedom.
This issue update provides an overview of some amendments and new laws that China's government passed or implemented in recent months, highlighting the systematic nature of its worsening subjugation and repression of ethnoreligious minorities such as Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and others.
Public Security Administration Punishments Law
In June 2025, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) promulgated revisions to the Public Security Administration Law that, for the first time, include "illegal religious activities" within the scope of administrative punishments. Article 31 of this revised law, which took effect in January 2026, allows for punishments of 10 to 15 days and a potential fine of up to 2,000 renminbi (RMB) ($293), or five to 10 days and a fine of up to 1,000 RMB ($146) for "minor" offences, for:
(1) organizing, instigating, coercing, inducing or inciting others to engage in cult, superstitious sect, or secret society activities, or illegal religious activities, or use such groups or superstitious activities to disturb social order and harm the physical health of others;
(2) disturbing social order and harming the health of others by masquerading under the name of religion or Qigong;
(3) producing or transmitting items, information, or materials with content promoting cults, superstitious sects and secret societies, the content of articles, information, and materials.
These administrative punishments are relatively minor compared to the scale of the atrocities that the CCP inflicts against Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and others. However, the tactic of codifying administrative punishments for "illegal" religious activities in effect targets unregistered religious groups, such as Protestant house churches--thereby placing an additional layer of pressure on them to register and subject themselves to the authorities' efforts to compel them to promote CCP ideology over, alongside, and in place of religious teachings.
Online Code of Conduct for Religious Professionals
In September 2025, the State Bureau of Religious Affairs promulgated an Online Code of Conduct for Religious Professionals that presents an even more FoRB-restrictive update to earlier People's Republic of China (PRC) laws, including to the 2021 Measures on the Administration of Internet Religious Information Services. In addition to provisions that require religious professionals to "uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China" and conform to CCP ideology, Article 5 permits online activity exclusively for religious organizations that have obtained "Internet Religious Information Services Licenses."
Article 13: "Except as provided for in Article 5 of this Code, religious professionals must not use livestreams, short videos, online meetings, WeChat groups, WeChat friend circles, and other such measures to proselytize; must not organize or participate in online religious activities such as Buddhist prayer sessions, church services, or mass, as well as religious rites such as burning incense, making offerings, chanting, ordainment, and baptisms; must not carry out online study and training with a religious flavor or content such as 'meditation,' 'cleansing,' or 'healing.'"
Chinese authorities invoked this new code in their arrest of Pastor Ezra Jin, founder of the Zion Church, for "illegal use of information networks" in October 2025-- a mere month after the release of this code. His arrest tellingly violated Article 17 of the code's own provision that "where religious professionals violate this Code, the religious affairs departments are to order them to make corrections in a set period of time; where they refuse to make corrections, the religious affairs department is to give penalties." Authorities gave no such warning to Pastor Jin or other members of the Zion Church before their detention.
Other FoRB repression measures presented in the articles of this code include banning use of the internet to "indoctrinate" or to organize online religious activities for minors; to "transmit heretical cults" or "superstitions"; or to make money or raise funds for building religious venues. Furthermore, Article 8 codifies transnational repression and other measures to further isolate China's religious and ethnic minority groups from the international community, stating that "religious professionals must not collude with foreign forces through the internet to support or participate in activities of foreign religious infiltration." Article 18 reinforces that "religious professionals conducting online conduct on foreign websites and platforms shall comply with this Code."
Ethnic Unity and Progress Law
A wide-ranging Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which the NPC promulgated in March 2026 to come into effect in July, has raised numerous alarms among FoRB advocates, human rights defenders, and other civil society representatives. It also drew concern and requests for clarification from eight United Nations (UN) special rapporteurs, including from the special rapporteur on FoRB. Despite those widespread concerns, the CCP has reportedly sent out government officials across China's various regions to direct local authorities on how to implement and enforce this draconian new law.
In fact, the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law represents one of the CCP's most expansive efforts to codify its ideological and ethnonationalist supremacy over all minority groups in the country. It attempts to do so through at least eight articles that further restrict religious freedom for these beleaguered communities, either implicitly or explicitly, while trampling on other elements of their social and cultural identities.
Article 10: "Citizens of the PRC have an obligation to preserve national unity and the unity of the nation's ethnicities, and shall preserve the nation's sovereignty, security, and developmental interests. Matters of ethnic unity and progress are not to be interfered with by foreign forces. All acts using excuses such as ethnicity, religion, or human rights to insult and disparage, contain and suppress, or infiltrate and undermine the PRC are to be resolutely opposed."
Under Article 10, merely raising concerns over FoRB, broader human rights, or the authorities' genocidal treatment of ethnic minorities is tantamount to an existential threat against China's government, especially when international actors are involved. Specifically, this article clamps down on any freedom of expression that members of ethnoreligious minorities, civil society advocates, or others might exercise to highlight FoRB violations--all in the name of "sovereignty, security, and developmental interests."
Article 15: "Schools and other educational institutions are to use the nation's common language and script as the basic language and script for education and teaching. The state is to promote preschool students' learning of Mandarin, so that youth who have completed compulsory education have a basic understanding of the nation's common language and script."
Long prior to this law, the CCP had overseen the removal of millions of Tibetan Buddhist and Uyghur children from their homes to place them in boarding schools, where authorities forced them to learn Mandarin and state ideology. The CCP also earlier imposed a language ban in Inner Mongolia in attempts to separate ethnic Mongolians from their religious and cultural traditions, as expressed in their own language. In other words, through Article 15, this statute nationalizes a practice that the CCP has already regionally imposed on Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia, contradicting a preexisting law on Regional National Autonomy that provided for educational instruction in minority languages.
Article 20: "All levels of people's government shall promote the integration of requirements for forging a strong sense of the community of the Chinese people in families, family education, and family atmospheres. The parents or other guardians of minors shall perform their family education responsibilities in accordance with law, educating and guiding minors to love the Chinese Communist Party, Motherland, people, and the Chinese people; and establishing the concept of the Chinese people as a single family; and they must not instill ideas in minors that are not conducive to improving ethnic unity and progress."
Article 20 applies vaguely defined terms to mandate that families provide to their children only teachings that strictly conform to CCP ideology, even in private settings--thereby denying them the right to foster religious upbringing in their own homes and impart traditions to their own children. Furthermore, it charges all levels of government to engage in enforcing this pervasive and destructive atmosphere.
Article 31: "The state is to support the use of modern technology ... to produce and disseminate works and information that embodies the great unity of the Chinese People, to create a harmonious online environment that is conducive to forging a strong sense of the community of the Chinese people. Information with content that undermines ethnic unity and progress, such as ethnic hatred or ethnic discrimination, must not be produced or transmitted by any organization or individual in forms such as text, images, or video."
Article 31 provides an ill-defined basis for censoring the use of communications technologies to share any information deemed contrary to CCP ideology. While it echoes the Online Code of Conduct for Religious Professionals, it is more expansive in its application to the entire Chinese population and to all service providers. Chinese authorities are likely to apply it to the use of communication technologies for religious activity and cultural expression.
Article 46: "Religious groups, religious schools and religious activity sites shall carry out publicity and education on forging a strong sense of the community of the Chinese people, persist in the direction of sinicization of our nation's religions, guide religions to adapt to socialist society, guide religious professionals and believers to carry forward the tradition of patriotism, and promote ethnic, religious, and social harmony."
Article 46 provides the most explicit requirement in the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law that religious entities and activities conform with CCP ideology and promote it above all else. While the CCP has already effectively adopted this requirement since the onset of its "sinicization of religion policy," the article codifies it at the national level rather than limiting it to key targeted regions--while contradicting a preexisting law on Regional National Autonomy that obligated Chinese authorities to "protect normal religious activities."
Article 48: "In accordance with this Law and relevant legal provisions, the military is to carry out publicity and education on building a strong sense of community of the Chinese people in conjunction with national defense activities, make full use of its own resources to ensure the construction of the community of the Chinese people, consolidate and develops military-political unity between the military and the people, and safeguard national unity and security."
Article 48 potentially legitimizes Chinese military operations against ethnoreligious groups and religious organizations that are not in full compliance with CCP ideology or challenge "national unity and security." It presents a vague standard that is open to broad interpretation and leaves no room for religious freedom. It also renders religious and cultural practices susceptible to government definition as breaching "national unity and security" and thus vulnerable to Chinese military interventions.
Article 53: "All levels of local people's government and relevant organs shall strengthen their capacity to prevent and resolve conflicts and disputes, giving full play to the role of diversified dispute resolution mechanisms, accurately identify the nature of disputes, handling and resolving disputes in accordance with law, and maintaining ethnic unity. Organizations and individuals must not intentionally cause or escalate conflicts or disrupt public order for reasons such as ethnic identity, customs, or religious beliefs."
UN special rapporteurs observed that Article 53 "could impede the rights to freedom of assembly and of association." It prohibits organizations and individuals from intentionally causing or escalating conflicts or disrupting public order for reasons such as ethnic identity, customs, or religious beliefs. Given that the article does not define what it means to "cause" or "escalate" a conflict, the government can treat any collective action--cultural events, community organizing, advocacy, protests, meetings, festivals, or religious gatherings--as a threat to public order. By extension, Chinese authorities, including military personnel per Article 48, may arbitrarily interpret religious gatherings of any kind or size as unlawful and thereby liable to punishment.
Article 63: "Organizations and individuals outside the [mainland] territory of the P.R.C. that commit acts aimed at the P.R.C. that undermine ethnic unity and progress or create ethnic division are to be pursued for legal responsibility in accordance with law."
Article 63 codifies and further entrenches the Chinese government's already extensive engagement in transnational repression, explicitly permitting it to extraterritorially "pursue" organizations and individuals who have raised its countless FoRB violations. In parallel with other components of the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, this article claims that such pursuit would take place "in accordance with law" while demonstrating that the definition of what is lawful, and the form of its application, remains entirely up to the CCP.
Conclusion
The laws that this report highlights together constitute an escalation in the CCP's systematic, ongoing, and egregious efforts to make all religion and belief throughout China entirely subservient to CCP ideology and increasingly punishable at the arbitrary discretion of Chinese authorities. They mark a clear departure from past pretenses to provide for regional "autonomy" and protect religious practices, instead shifting Chinese law toward the codification of forced ethnoreligious assimilation nationwide by all levels of government--including the military. In particular, the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law appears designed to further impinge upon and deny FoRB and other key rights to China's ethnoreligious minorities, both within and beyond China's borders. Its enactment further entrenches China's position among the world's most persistent and egregious violators of religious freedom. USCIRF recommended in its 2026 Annual Report that the U.S. Department of State redesignate China as a Country of Particular Concern, or CPC.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief.
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Professional Staff
Michael Ardovino, Policy Analyst
Gretchen Birkle, Senior Advisor
Susan Bishai, Supervisory Policy Analyst
Mollie Blum, Policy Analyst
Guillermo Cantor, Director of Research and Policy
Serena Doan, Supervisory Policy Analyst
Kaylee Fisher, Public Affairs Specialist
Andrew Hamm, Victims List Database Specialist
Sema Hasan, Senior Policy Analyst
Thomas Kraemer, Chief Administrative Officer
Kirsten Lavery, Supervisory Policy Analyst and International Legal Specialist
Veronica McCarthy, Government Affairs Specialist
Hilary Miller, Policy Analyst
Nora Morton, Operations Specialist
Molly Naylor-Komyatte, Policy Analyst
Dylan Schexnaydre, Policy Analyst
Katherine Todd, Policy Analyst
Ross Tokola, Policy Analyst
Brett Warner, Administrative Specialist
Scott Weiner, Supervisory Policy Analyst
Kurt Werthmuller, Supervisory Policy Analyst
Nathan Wineinger, Chief of Public Affairs
Jean Wu, Policy Analyst
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Original text here: https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2026-05/2026%20Issue%20Update%20Chinas%20Codification%20and%20Escalation%20of%20the%20Sinicization%20of%20Religion.pdf
