Lawmakers finally advance bill to aid ISIS victims

WASHINGTON—The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday marked up and passed unanimously a critical humanitarian package for genocide survivors in Iraq and Syria. The House cleared the bill by a voice vote more than three months ago, but it remained dormant in the Senate until Tuesday morning. The bill would assist religious minorities who suffered from genocide and other crimes perpetrated by Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq. ISIS has specifically targeted Christians, Yazidis, and other religious groups in the region for destruction. Many survivors of ISIS attacks were forced out of their homes and became dependent on support from humanitarian groups and other nongovernmental organizations. The Knights of Columbus alone delivered more than $12 million in aid to the region. The U.S. State Department recognized ISIS as a genocide perpetrator in March 2016, but the United States has yet to designate any money specifically to help survivors (see Mindy Belz’s WORLD Magazine cover story “Where gridlock kills”). International religious freedom advocates have urged the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for months to pass the aid package, known as HR 390. The bill now goes back to the House to consider amended language from Tuesday’s markup, and it then will await a vote by the full Senate.