– Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chair of the Africa Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, has introduced legislation (HR 1744) to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) through September 2028. Smith’s bipartisan bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Henry Cuellar (D-TX).

“The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is the U.S. government’s most effective, unbiased, and respected voice for victims of religious persecution,” Smith said. “USCIRF reports are the gold standard of religious freedom reporting.  At a time when religious persecution is on the rise from Nigeria to Nicaragua, China to Iran and Azerbaijan, Congress must ensure that the United States has all of the tools at its disposal to prioritize this fundamental human right in talks with other nations.”

“We cannot retreat from the necessary and noble fight to protect victims of religious persecution,” said Smith, who has authored dozens of laws on foreign policy and human rights and four laws specifically promoting religious freedom, including in Iraq and Syria and globally (the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, the principal U.S. law promoting religious freedom around the world) .

Established in 1998, the USCIRF is tasked with defending the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad, reviewing reports of religious freedom violations and making policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the congressional leadership of both political parties.

Rep. Brad Sherman said, “One of the highest ideals of the United States, dating back to the founding of our country, is to provide protection and refuge to those suffering from the scourge of religious persecution around the world. I represent a number of communities that arrived in California’s 32^nd district precisely because they were fleeing religious persecution, and I am proud to introduce this important legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and ensure the United States continues the global fight against religious persecution.”

“The darkest moments in human history have come when people remain silent in the face of oppression, violence, bigotry and injustice. We must eradicate its presence around the globe,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis. “The US Commission on Religious Freedom plays a vital role in helping us work toward this moral imperative.”

“Freedom of religion is a basic human right and an integral part of democracy,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar. “The U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom plays a key role in spreading this truth and does important work investigating religious-based persecutions across the world. I am pleased to join my colleagues on this bipartisan bill to continue supporting their noble efforts.”

Smith, who chaired the first hearing in the House on antisemitism and has chaired 14 additional hearings to expose and combat  antisemitism to date, is the author of the law that created the Office to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism at the U.S. State Department, as well as the law that established ambassadorial-level leadership of the fight against antisemitism abroad.

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