Bennet Joins Legislation to Strengthen U.S. Response to Situation in Burma, Hold Military Junta Accountable for Rampant Abuses

Apr 22, 2026 | Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, joined U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) on bipartisan legislation to strengthen the U.S. response to the situation in Burma, including by imposing sanctions on the repressive military junta that took power in a 2021 coup and reversed a decade of democratic and economic gains. The junta, members of which committed genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya Muslim minority from 2016-2017, continues to commit relentless violence and gross violations of human rights, worsening the humanitarian disaster in Burma and the region.

The Senators' bill, Bringing Real Accountability Via Enforcement in (BRAVE) Burma Act, builds on the 2022 Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act (BURMA) Act that Bennet co-sponsored and which became law in 2022. The BRAVE Burma Act, among other measures, blocks funding to the junta by authorizing stronger sanctions on the entities financing its operations and strengthening mechanisms to implement these sanctions while countering China and Russia's growing influence in the region.

"The United States must do more to end the junta's violence and systematic human rights abuses against the people of Burma," said Bennet. "This bipartisan legislation will cut off key revenue streams the junta uses to fund its brutality and support the restoration of Burma's path to an inclusive, democratic future."

"The Burmese military junta has devastated the country through a relentless campaign of bloodshed, repression, and persecution of vulnerable communities," said Van Hollen. "This bipartisan legislation will strengthen our ability to starve the junta of the resources that finance its reign of terror and, in turn, support future peace and democracy for the people of Burma."

"The United States should do more to protect the Burmese people from the oppression being committed by the military junta," said Young. "This legislation will help cut off the primary source of funding that is making it possible for airstrikes to be conducted against Burmese civilians. Indiana is home to one of the largest Burmese communities in America, and I stand with the people of Burma as they seek the restoration of a legitimate government."

"Throughout my career, I have been proud to champion the democratic aspirations of the people of Burma," said McConnell. "The BRAVE Burma Act comes at a particularly critical moment, as the military junta's sham elections threaten to deepen the PRC's influence in a critical region. It's as important as ever that the United States continue to lead the West in turning the screws on this oppressive regime and standing firmly with the long-suffering people of Burma."

"I'll never forget the painful stories I heard during my travels to Burma and Bangladesh in 2017-stories of brutal crimes against humanity against Rohingya and other vulnerable communities that are part of decades of violence, discrimination, and marginalization. I remain steadfast in my belief that American action is needed to achieve lasting peace," said Merkley. "Our bipartisan BRAVE Burma Act makes clear: the Burmese military's brutality will not be forgotten."

The BRAVE Burma Act:

• Requires the president to make an annual determination on whether to impose stronger sanctions on Burma's state-owned enterprises such as Myanma Economic Bank, to which the junta has shifted operations, and foreign entities supporting the country's jet fuel sector, which are known to finance the junta's operations;
• Directs the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury to use U.S. leverage at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to restrict the junta's ability to borrow money from the IMF; and
• Establishes a Special Envoy for Burma at the State Department, at ambassador rank, responsible for coordinating all aspects of U.S. policy toward Burma - increasing focus on implementing U.S. diplomatic tools to help end the violence, protect human rights, and facilitate the return to democratic governance in Burma.

The Burma Research Institute and Campaign for a New Myanmar support the legislation. U.S. Representative Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) leads the bipartisan BRAVE Burma Act in the House of Representatives, which unanimously passed the bill by voice vote earlier this year.

In December 2025, Bennet urged U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take strong action in response to the junta's violence and human rights violations, as well as the junta's sham elections. In the same month, Bennet urged Rubio and then-Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to reverse the Department's termination of Temporary Protected Status for Burma in order to prevent the return of immigrants from Burma to an active war zone and potential persecution by the junta.

In November 2023, Bennet urged Senate leaders to include $10 billion in humanitarian assistance in the national security supplemental funding bill, including to address the crisis in Burma; Bennet played a major role in passing the supplemental, which ultimately included this $10 billion. Additionally, Bennet co-sponsored the original BURMA Act, which President Biden signed into law as part of the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act.

The text of the bill is available HERE.

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