A bipartisan commitment to religious freedom

Supporters of global religious freedom were relieved to see that Congress overwhelmingly passed and President Joe Biden signed the reauthorization of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., commented that USCIRF “remains a vital tool in defending religious liberties worldwide.” It is also a reminder of just how dire the current situation of religious persecution and ethno-religious violence is around the world.

USCIRF is a nine-person, bipartisan commission selected by senior members of both political parties. A small full-time staff assists the part-time commissioners. USCIRF commissioners have a track record of low-drama consistency and bipartisan cooperation as they advocate for some of the most vulnerable people around the world. As Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., writes, “USCIRF in recent years has been more effective than at any point in its history and is one of the most effective tools we have for defending religious freedom.”

It is noteworthy that the two-year reauthorization—the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Act of 2024—enjoyed massive bipartisan support, as it was passed unanimously by the Senate and by a vote of 365-20 in the House of Representatives. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., observed that USCIRF “plays a vital role in ensuring that freedom of religion remains a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy.”

USCIRF is part of a range of U.S. policies and actions under the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, which was supported by Democrats and Republicans and signed by President Bill Clinton. IRFA declares the promotion of religious freedom as a fundamental human right at the center of the U.S. foreign policy agenda. This is important because, without freedom of religion, other fundamental freedoms, such as speech, assembly, private property, and the press, would be severely restricted.

IRFA created USCIRF as well as a separate office within the Department of State to monitor international religious freedom trends. The act also provided a Senate-confirmed ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom to head this office. This position has been held by distinguished Americans such as Rashad Hussain (who has served in the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations), Sam Brownback, and David Saperstein. Both USCIRF and the State Department produce annual written reports. The State Department may designate “countries of particular concern,” a finding that allows the U.S. government to choose to impose sanctions and a variety of other measures against egregious religious freedom violators.

Sadly, world conditions remain problematic for religious freedom. When one looks carefully at the work that USCIRF has done as an independent commission providing its reports to Congress and to the American people, perhaps the most obvious trend is calling out communist and Marxist-inspired regimes as being among the worst religious freedom violators in the world, including China, North Korea, and Cuba. These regimes are threatened by religion, which sets a moral authority and calls for allegiance beyond and outside the party, leader, or state. Moreover, in cases such as China and Vietnam, ethno-religious minorities have been attacked for their distinctive culture and religious identity, including Christian Montagnards in Vietnam and Tibetan Buddhists and Muslim Uyghurs in China. In the Western Hemisphere, hard-left governments in Nicaragua and Venezuela have targeted Catholic parishes and evangelical pastors and stoked anti-Semitism alongside the anti-religious regime in Cuba.

Of course, there are other problems involving religion and religious freedom that USCIRF must focus on, including rising anti-Semitic violence around the world as well as other cases where ethno-religious minorities are targeted for their unique religious and cultural identity, such as Burma’s Muslim Rohingya.

Thus, in a time of continued persecution of religious groups and individuals, the reauthorization of USCIRF to do its important bipartisan work is wise. We often hear that the U.S. government is too partisan, but here’s a commission of outstanding Americans from both sides of the aisle who may disagree on some political issues but are unified in supporting the fundamental rights of religious people around the world. It is a testimony to USCIRF that it does not generate controversial headlines about its members who disagree on domestic politics. USCIRF is a small agency with a small budget but with a loud and important voice for freedom, something of which Americans can be extremely proud.