Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Chair of the Global Human Rights Subcommittee, today issued the following statement marking the 25th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act:

            “The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998—which was authored by my great friend Congressman Frank Wolf—is landmark legislation that placed the fight for religious freedom on the US foreign policy agenda and has inspired generations of believers and human rights defenders.

            Since then, much has been achieved. Frank Wolf’s law created the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Office and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom whose efforts have helped rescue persecuted believers and identify persecutors. Their annual International Religious Freedom Report—which is also required by this historic law—is the gold standard of reporting on religious freedom.

            Frank Wolf dedicated much of his congressional career to strengthening the International Religious Freedom Act and pressing the State Department to implement it more fully and vigorously. After Frank retired, I authored the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act in 2016 to continue this critical work.

            At a time when religious freedom is under siege across the world, we must continue to press the Biden Administration to stop retreating from the noble and necessary fight to protect victims of religious persecution.”

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