WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- A U.S. senator has placed an anonymous hold on a bill extending the U.S. Commission in International Religious Freedom, one of the panel's creators says.
Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R-Va., who wrote a bill passed by the House that provides funding for the commission, told The Washington Times he believes the Obama administration would like to see the panel go out of business. The bill cuts funding from $4 million to $3 million and reduces the number of members from nine to five.
"Sadly, the constituency for human rights and religious freedom issues is growing smaller and smaller in Washington and in this Congress," Wolf said before the House voted. "These issues have become second-class citizens in this Congress and in this town."
Senators can place secret holds on bills and nominations. If the Senate does not act, the commission would go out of business at the end of the fiscal year.
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The commission was created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act at a time when there were concerns violence, especially against Christians, was not getting enough attention.
Some critics also say the commission adds an unnecessary and possibly dangerous layer of bureaucracy to U.S. foreign policy. Joseph K. Grieboski, founder and head of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, said Congress and the State Department share responsibility for foreign policy and Congress can exert pressure if it feels diplomats are not paying enough attention to religious persecution.
"There're too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to religious freedom," Grieboski said. "A lot of politics have come with USCIRF that didn't exist before."
