Top US Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren backs Hong Kong pro-democracy bill
- With Warren and two other US senators aboard, the number of cosponsors of the controversial legislation is now at 28, more than a quarter of the chamber
- Passed by the House, the bill may go to a Senate vote as soon as next week
US Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of the leading Democratic contenders for the White House, backed controversial legislation aimed at supporting democracy in Hong Kong – a bill that may go to a vote in Congress’s upper chamber as early as next week.
Warren, who represents Massachusetts, signed onto the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 as a cosponsor on Wednesday, along with Rick Scott, a Republican representing Florida, and Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn.
The three additions brought the number of cosponsors to 28, more than a quarter of the chamber.
Asked by reporters on Thursday about the timing for a vote on the bill, its sponsor, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, said: “We’re hoping sometime next week or early the following week.”
The legislation, which was passed by the House of Representatives with no objections earlier this week, would place economic sanctions on individuals deemed to have violated the terms of Hong Kong’s autonomy from mainland China.
The House version was cosponsored by one-fifth of its 438 members. If passed by the Senate, the two versions will be consolidated into one and sent to President Donald Trump for approval.