Religious freedom watchdog urges Trump to fill key ambassador vacancy

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom on May 12 reiterated its recommendation that President Donald Trump “swiftly” make a nomination to fill a key ambassador position to promote and protect religious freedom abroad.

Vicky Hartzler, chair of USCIRF, an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission that monitors religious freedom around the globe, told OSV News in a May 13 interview that “without having this key person in that position, we’re missing a lot of important opportunities to advance this cause.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from OSV News.

The role, Hartzler said, is an ex officio member of USCIRF and helps implement the commission’s recommendations into U.S. foreign policy.

Congress created both USCIRF and the ambassador role under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, or IRFA. The role is intended to be an advisor to both the president and the secretary of state on religious freedom issues abroad. A previous nomination made by Trump expired and has yet to be renewed.

“We want to see religious freedom advanced across the world and to continue to be a leader in the world, not only economically and militarily, but in advancing freedoms,” Hartzler said.

The White House, Hartzler said, has indicated to USCIRF it is looking to fill the vacancy, but she hopes “they can do it as soon as possible to make sure that these recommendations are being advanced in our international policy.”

Asked about President Donald Trump’s planned travel to China the same day, Hartzler said, “There’s just many, many things that could be raised” during the trip.

In May 11 comments at the White House, Trump said he planned to raise the imprisonment of both Jimmy Lai, a prominent Catholic and pro-democracy campaigner, and Ezra Jin Mingri, founder and pastor of Zion Church, another political prisoner whose case has provoked grave religious freedom concerns from U.S. officials.

Hartzler said she was “really glad” that Trump planned to raise both cases, and said she hoped he also raised that of John Cao, a Protestant pastor and humanitarian worker, who was a former prisoner of conscience in China. Cao, who is a U.S. permanent resident, has not been permitted to leave the country since his imprisonment to rejoin his U.S. citizen wife and children.

Efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to target Uyghur Muslims and Tibetan Buddhist children, as well as efforts to pressure Christian churches into accepting party doctrine are other grave areas of concern, she said.

The terms of each of the current USCIRF commissioners are set to expire in May. Asked what the next steps for the commission are, Hartzler said they have been “vocal” in encouraging the White House and the offices of congressional leadership — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. — to each make a combined total of nine nominations so the commission’s work can continue “without a hitch.”

“We’re hoping that they will make these appointments in a very timely manner,” she said.

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