FEDERALhearing transcript

Hearing on Global Religious Freedom and U.S. Foreign Policy

Original title: THE GLOBAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CRISIS AND ITS CHALLENGE TO U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

January 1, 2016

religious freedom foreign policy human rights international relations genocide

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing examines how the U.S. government evaluates and responds to global religious persecution, which influences diplomatic priorities and foreign aid decisions.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

U.S. Department of State

The agency is responsible for implementing foreign policy and responding to international religious freedom concerns.

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

The commission provides reports and recommendations that inform U.S. policy on religious freedom.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2016.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This document is a transcript of a 2016 House subcommittee hearing regarding the global decline of religious freedom and how it impacts U.S. foreign policy. The hearing featured testimony from government officials and experts on international religious rights.

Key Facts

The hearing took place on June 16, 2016, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
The subcommittee discussed the U.S. government's response to global religious freedom crises following a genocide designation by Secretary of State John Kerry.
The hearing included testimony from the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and former leaders of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The subcommittee reviewed the 2016 Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The hearing was delayed due to a series of more than two dozen votes on the House floor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of this hearing?

The hearing was held to examine the global deterioration of religious freedom and to discuss how the United States should respond to these challenges through its foreign policy.

Who testified at the hearing?

The witnesses included David N. Saperstein ( for International Religious Freedom), Robert P. George (former chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom), and M. Zuhdi Jasser (president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy).

Why It Matters

The hearing examines how the U.S. government evaluates and responds to global religious persecution, which influences diplomatic priorities and foreign aid decisions.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

temporal pattern100% confidence

Legislative Scheduling Conflict

The hearing was significantly delayed due to an unusually high number of floor votes (over two dozen) occurring on the same day.

Christopher H. Smith

Connected Entities

personChristopher H. Smith“Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and ”Map →

personCarl Anderson“Supreme Knight”Map →

personDavid N. Saperstein“Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, U.S. Department of Stat”Map →

personRobert P. George“Former chairman, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom”Map →

personM. Zuhdi Jasser“President, American Islamic Forum for Democracy”Map →

personJohn Kerry“Secretary of State at the time of the hearing”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance50
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

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