(RoyalPatriot.com )- On Monday, after the measure was approved in the Senate, four Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against providing financing for the nonpartisan United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. After Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) submitted the legislation in July to reauthorize the commission, which monitors the situation of religious liberty across the globe, the Senate unanimously consented to the bill and passed it in July. The law was intended to reauthorize the commission.
The vote on Monday was to approve funding for the commission through the fiscal year 2024, and it required a 2/3 majority to pass.
The funding request for the commission was approved by the Democrats in the House with a vote count of 207 in favor and 0 opposed. In addition, thirteen Republicans did not cast their ballots.
The funding proposal for the commission received support from Republicans by a vote of 195 to 4. Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), and Chip Roy (R-Texas) all cast their votes against the measure.
At 11 p.m. Eastern Time, none have justified their votes in a public forum.
The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 gave rise to the establishment of the non-partisan commission. It is comprised of nine individuals who examine the current situation of religious liberty and submit their conclusions to the legislative and executive branches of government.
According to the commission’s official statement, “USCIRF monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) overseas; offers policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress; and tracks the implementation of these recommendations.” The Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom is a non-voting member of USCIRF, despite the fact that USCIRF is a separate organization from the State Department.
In addition, members of the commission are strongly urged to interact with the general public and the media to raise awareness of problems in other countries.
The committee noted in its most recent report that the people of Nigeria endure “violence hurting worship.” As a result, the committee recommended that Nigeria be designated as a “Country of Particular Concern.”
According to the report’s findings, a significant portion of the nation’s populace is subject to “localized religious discrimination” and “politicization of religion.”
