; 132 Stat. 5407), Congress expressed serious concerns with the rule of law and civil liberties in Cambodia and made the finding that the promotion of human rights and respect for democratic values in the Indo-Pacific region is in the United States national security interest. (18) The 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices of the Department of State stated, of Cambodia, Corruption was endemic throughout society and government. There were reports police, prosecutors, investigating judges, and presiding judges took bribes from owners of both legal and illegal businesses … Citizens frequently and publicly complained about corruption. Meager salaries contributed to survival corruption among low-level public servants, while a culture of impunity enabled corruption to flourish among senior officials. . (19) Cambodia currently occupies a Tier 3 ranking on the Department of State’s Annual Trafficking in Persons Report, indicating that Cambodia does not meet the minimum standards for preventing trafficking in persons and is not making significant efforts to do so. Human trafficking is rampant across a number of industries in Cambodia and is often linked to Chinese-organized crime networks. For many years, members of the ruling elite, including personal family members and advisors of the Prime Minister, have been individually linked to businesses implicated in trafficking in persons into Cambodia. Many of the trafficked persons are forced to work in scamming operations that target United States citizens. (20) Section 7043(b) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023 (division K of Public Law 117–328 ) restricts assistance to the Government of Cambodia until “the Secretary of State certifies and reports to the Committees on Appropriations that such Government is taking effective steps to— (i) strengthen regional security and stability, particularly regarding territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the enforcement of international sanctions with respect to