Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) today praised the House of Representatives for passing the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2022, which reauthorizes the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) through fiscal year 2024. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.) are also original cosponsors.
Created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the USCIRF is a bipartisan commission that monitors and reports on religious freedom internationally. The commission’s authorization would expire on September 30, 2022 unless reauthorized.
“I’m proud to have worked to protect international religious freedom by passing the USCIRF reauthorization in the Senate on a bipartisan basis, and I’m glad that our House colleagues have finally passed and sent the bill to President Biden for his signature,” said Senator Coons. “Around the world, communities like the Rohingya in Burma, Christians in Nigeria, and Uyghurs in China face horrific attacks because they practice their human right to freedom of religion. The United States is built on the founding value of religious freedom, and we must continue to work with our international partners to ensure the global community enjoys the same opportunity to peacefully worship.”
“I’m grateful the House has voted to reauthorize USCIRF’s mission and reaffirm the importance of religious freedom everywhere. USCIRF does phenomenal work defending this sacred right around the globe, but its authorization will expire in just a matter of days. President Biden must sign our bill immediately,” said Senator Rubio.
“The House passage of our USCIRF reauthorization bill is an important step in ensuring the United States can properly promote religious freedom around the globe and investigate violations, including the persecution of Yazidis, Baha’is, Christians, and others in the Middle East, genocide of Uyghurs in China, and attacks on Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia. I hope the president will sign this legislation into law quickly,” said Senator Risch.
“The United States has a long tradition of promoting religious freedom abroad, and this Commission is dedicated to advising Congress and the Executive Branch about how to successfully ensure religious freedom is protected and that religion is not exploited to justify human rights abuses. As the global refugee crisis worsens, the United States must do more to address the scourge of religious persecution, including holding perpetrators accountable and providing a safe haven to refugees. It’s heartening to see Congress come together on this pressing issue to ensure that the Commission can effectively fulfill its mission,” said Senator Durbin.
“USCIRF does invaluable work to help our nation protect and promote the unalienable human right of religious freedom for all people of every faith around the world. I’m glad to see the House finally pass my bill to reauthorize this commission,” said Senator Lankford.