SW News: The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Reauthorization Act of 2022, has been passed by the House of Representatives. The bill that reauthorizes the commission through the fiscal year 2024, was introduced by Florida Senator Marco Rubio. It was co-sponsored by senators Bob Menendez, Jim Risch, Dick Durbin, James Lankford and Chris Coons.

USCIRF, a bipartisan commission created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, monitors and works to ensure religious freedom in foreign countries. As many as 402 members voted in favor of the bill while four house members opposed the legislation. Expressing his gratefulness to the House for passing the bill, Rubio said that the commission does phenomenal work in defending religious freedom across the world.

He asked President Joe Biden to sign the bill immediately. Senator Coons, who pointed out the persecution faced by religious minorities including the persecution of Christians in Nigeria, said that the United States, which was built on the founding value of religious freedom, should continue to work with international partners to ensure the global community enjoys the same opportunity to peacefully worship. USCIRF’s authorized period of operation was set to expire this month. Uyghur American attorney Nury Turkel is the current Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.