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1 [1] (June 3, 2026)

handle is hein.crs/goveuly0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing the IegisI9tive debate since 1914 Updated June 3, 2026 Global Human Rights: International Religious Freedom Policy For decades, U.S. policymakers have sought to promote religious freedom abroad, reflective both of a general interest in promoting human rights through U.S. foreign policy, as well as the emphasis on religious freedom in U.S. domestic law and political culture. Protection of religious freedom is also affirmed in international law through the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other instruments. Congress has sought to ensure continued support for religious freedom as a focus of U.S. relations with other nations, most prominently through passage of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Legs at ve ackground The International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA; P.L. 105-292; 22 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) is the foundational legislation for U.S. international religious freedom (IRF) policy. Recognizing religious freedom as a universal human right, IRFA created various government mechanisms aimed at cementing IRF as a foreign policy priority of the United States. Most significantly, the law * created an Office of International Religious Freedom within the State Department headed by an Ambassador at Large (AAL) for IRF; * required that the Secretary of State issue an annual report on the status of religious freedom around the world; * mandated that the President identify countries of particular concern and prescribed U.S. government actions in response to violations of religious freedom, subject to presidential waiver authority; and * created the independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Congress has subsequently strengthened IRFA through amendment and the enactment of related provisions, notably through the 2016 Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act (Wolf IRFA; P.L. 114-281). The State Department's Role The State Department leads the federal government's efforts to promote international religious freedom. The AAL for IRF heads the State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF Office). Per IRFA, as amended, the AAL is to integrate IRF policies into U.S. foreign policy efforts and participate in any interagency processes in which the promotion of IRF can advance U.S. national security interests. The position is to report directly to the Secretary of State. The AAL and the IRF Office lead the drafting of the IRFA-mandated annual international religious freedom report (IRF report) and advise the Secretary of State on U.S. policy actions in response to religious freedom violations. Under IRFA, the AAL for IRF is nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. A related senior position is the congressionally mandated Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism (Special Envoy), which is also a presidentially appointed position with the rank of ambassador. President Trump's nominee to serve as the Special Envoy, Yehuda Kaploun, was confirmed by the Senate in December 2025. The nominee to serve as AAL for IRF, Mark Walker, was not confirmed before the end of the first session of the 119th Congress, causing his nomination to be returned to the President pursuant to Senate rules. Walker subsequently began serving as Principal Advisor for Global Religious Freedom at the State Department before leaving that position in April 2026. President Trump has not yet announced a new nomination for the AAL for IRF position. The IRF Office and the Special Envoy's office were originally situated within the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), before being elevated in 2019 to report to the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights (J Under Secretary). As part of its 2025 reorganization, the State Department eliminated the J Under Secretary position and realigned both offices under DRL. Within recent annual appropriations acts and accompanying explanatory statements, Congress has directed certain amounts of funding for the IRF Office and for IRF foreign assistance programs, among other IRF-related directives. In early 2025, the Trump Administration initiated a foreign aid review and paused nearly all U.S. foreign assistance, reportedly including IRF programs. USCIRF reporting indicates that a significant portion of programs that utilized funds directed by Congress to promote IRF were ultimately terminated. Secretary of State Rubio in December 2025 announced a new visa restriction policy for individuals involved in religious freedom violations. Internationa Regous Freedom Report The IRF report, which is statutorily required to be issued on May 1 each year or shortly thereafter, covers developments in individual foreign countries during the prior calendar year and includes information on the status of religious freedom, violations of religious freedom, and relevant U.S. policies. The IRF report is the official U.S. government account of religious freedom conditions abroad, and is a primary information source for the executive branch's country of particular concern designations. The report covering calendar year 2023 was submitted to Congress on June 26, 2024, and is available on the State Department website. The State Department has not released the report covering calendar year 2024, which was statutorily due around May 1, 2025. The department has not yet released the subsequent report covering calendar year 2025, which was statutorily due around May 1, 2026.