Using his position on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., brought out a bill this week to reauthorize the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
Rubio teamed up with U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Col., Chris Coons, D-Del., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Bob Menendez, D-NJ, to bring out the “United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Act" which would authorize the commission for another four years and increases its funding.
“As religious freedom is under assault worldwide, I’m proud to lead this bipartisan effort to ensure that advancing the right to freely exercise one’s religion and belief according to one’s conscience remains a priority of the U.S.,” Rubio said this week. “USCIRF plays an important role in highlighting religious freedom violations and advancing religious liberty around the globe, including by providing key recommendations to Congress. I look forward to seeing this Commission reauthorized and fulling its important mission.”
“Religious freedom is a fundamental human right, which U. S. foreign policy champions. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom plays a worthy role in this effort,” Menendez said. “This reauthorization makes a number of important changes to advance transparency and accountability of the Commission and its members, ensuring that the Commission can continue to shine a light on threats to religious freedom around the globe.”
“Freedom of worship is a fundamental human right, one that we hold dear as Americans,” Gardner said. “The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is critical for the United States to continue to champion religious liberty around the globe — particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, where oppressive governments such as the People’s Republic of China restrict these basic rights.”
“This Commission was created to advise Congress and the Executive Branch about how the United States can most successfully protect religious freedom around the globe. In the midst of the worst refugee crisis in history, the United States must do more to address the scourge of religious persecution, including holding perpetrators accountable and providing safe haven to victims. This legislation includes important reforms to improve the Commission’s accountability and transparency so it can more effectively fulfill its mission,” Durbin said. “I’m proud to be part of a bipartisan group of senators committed to getting this done.”
The bill ends staggered terms for USCIRF commissioners, changing their service to a single non-renewable three year term. The bill also makes USCIRF track the implementation of its recommendations, creates more transparency and raises its authorized annual budget from $3.5 million to $4.5 million which, Rubio’s office insisted, will “reflect the actual appropriation the commission has received in recent years.”
Created by Congress in 1998, USCIRF defines itself as a “bipartisan commission that monitors the right to freedom of religion internationally." Its commissioners are appointed by the president and the Congress. Every year, USCIRF releases a report on international religious freedom which includes some recommendations for the federal government to implement.
Rubio’s bill was sent to the Foreign Relations Committee this week. So far, there is no counterpart over in the U.S. House.
