Washington D.C., Feb 7, 2020 / 15:57 pm
Reports of a new special adviser to the President on international religious freedom could be a game-changer for U.S. foreign policy, one expert said Friday.
"It's a very big deal. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has been recommending they fill this position for 20 years," Nadine Maenza, a USCIRF commissioner, told CNA.
USCIRF is a bipartisan commission that makes policy recommendations to the State Department. It was established under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, which aimed to ensure religious freedom was part of U.S. foreign policy.
The law also called for an international religious freedom ambassador at the State Department - a position currently held by former Kansas governor Sam Brownback - and a special adviser on international religious freedom at the National Security Council.