Senate Reauthorizes Religious Freedom Watchdog

The U.S. Senate has approved to reauthorize the Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent, bipartisan U.S. government commission that monitors religious freedom abroad and makes policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state, and Congress, reports The Hill.

The provision will be included in the massive spending bill set to be signed by President Donald Trump in the coming days.

The House on Tuesday passed a $1.4 trillion version of the bill to prevent a government shutdown, sending it to the Senate.

"The inclusion of provisions related to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2020 is vital for continuing to advance religious freedom worldwide," said a spokeswoman for Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., according to the Hill.

"This bipartisan compromise reauthorizes USCIRF for three years and enhances its credibility and transparency," she continued.

The USCIRF played a major role in spotlighting American pastor Andrew Brunson's case last year. Brunson was imprisoned in Turkey for two years on charges he aided a terrorist organization and engaged in espionage through his ministry.

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