Washington D.C., Dec 11, 2011 / 16:03 pm
The chairman of a federal commission that promotes religious freedom warned that if Congress does not reauthorize the group by next week, international results could be “catastrophic.”
Chairman Leonard Leo called it “absolutely shameful” that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has still not been reauthorized after months of discussion.
Leo told CNA on Dec. 9 that a failure to reauthorize the commission would send the message that the U.S. has “downgraded the importance of religious freedom in our foreign policy.”
Funding for the commission was initially set to expire at the end of September but received multiple brief extensions—including one that was part of a “minibus” spending bill signed into law on Nov. 18—that have allowed it to continue its work.