US Committed to Advancing Religious Liberty Around the World, Vance Says

The Epoch Times Header

The vice president said the United States has โ€™much more to do’ to secure religious freedom at home and abroad.

WASHINGTONโ€”Vice President JD Vance reiterated the United Statesโ€™ commitment to upholding religious freedom at home and abroad, saying the Trump administration has โ€œmuch more to do.โ€

โ€œOur administration believes we must stand for religious freedomโ€”not just as a legal principle, as important as that is, but as a lived reality, both within our own borders and especially outside,โ€ Vance said in a speech at the International Religious Freedom Summit on Feb. 5.

โ€œYou shouldnโ€™t have to leave your faith at the door of your peopleโ€™s government, and under President Trumpโ€™s leadership, you wonโ€™t have to.โ€

He said the administration is โ€œintent on not just restoring but on expanding the achievements of the first four years.โ€

In the first Trump administration, Vance said, President Donald Trump had made promoting religious freedom a foreign policy priority in China, across Europe, and throughout Africa and the Middle East.

Trump in 2019 met more than two dozen victims of religious persecution from countries such as China and North Korea and told them, โ€œEach of you has now become a witness to the importance of advancing religious liberty all around the world.โ€

The first Trump administration in 2020 also sanctioned a Chinese official for persecuting the faith group Falun Gong, marking the first time the United States had imposed such a penalty over the abuse.

In the last days of Trumpโ€™s first term, the State Department declared the repression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang a genocide, and a number of other nations followed suit.

Vance also criticized previous U.S. funding for helping to spread atheism and vowed to end such spending, making reference to a $500,000 funding opportunity from the State Department in 2021 for programs that it said would โ€œpromote and defend religious freedom inclusive of atheist, humanist, non-practicing and non-affiliated individuals.โ€

โ€œHow did America get to the point where weโ€™re sending hundreds of thousands of dollars abroad to NGOs that are dedicated to spreading atheism all over the globe?โ€ he said.

โ€œThat is not what leadership on protecting the rights of the faithful looks like, and it ends with this administration.โ€

Byย Eva Fu

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Columns

How a Chinese Government Statistician Was Forced to Report Fake Data

Chinese local govt employee produced a non-authorized report on bees and was visited by police and threatened with being sent to a mental hospital.

โ€˜This One Time, at Groomer Campโ€™

All Camp Brave Trails programs focus on helping LGBTQ+ youth find what they need most to thrive: their people, their place, and their passion.

Why Recognizing a Palestinian State Now Undermines U.S. Interestsย 

A recent American Conservativeย article suggests President Trump recognize a Palestinian state, but this would undermine the interests of the United States.

Harvardโ€™s China Ties Under Scrutiny as US Targets Student Visas

Following Trump adminโ€™s action to vet Chinese nationals studying in US for ties to the CCP, Harvard's involvement with Beijing has come to the fore.

The Russian-Ukrainian Talks Are At An Impasse That Only The US Or Brute Force Can Break

The second round of Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul resulted in no progress and talks are at an impasse that only the US or brute force can break.

News

Guatemalan Deportee Arrives in US After Judge Orders Trump Admin to Facilitate Return

โ€œAmericaโ€™s asylum system was never intended to be used as a de facto amnesty program or a catch-all, get-out-of-deportation-free card,โ€ McLaughlin said.

Trump-Musk Feud Escalates Over Spending Bill: 5 Things to Know

A public feud between Musk and Trump took a turn for the worse. Musk claimed president wouldnโ€™t have won without him and president suggested Muskโ€™s subsidies could be pulled.

Supreme Court Rules 9-0 Wisconsin Violated First Amendment by Denying Tax Exemption to Catholic Charity

Supreme Court ruled unanimously that WI violated the First Amendment by not granting Catholic charity an exemption from paying unemployment tax.

Appeals Court Rules San Diegoโ€™s Yoga Ban Is Unconstitutional

The city of San Diegoโ€™s ban on yoga classes in public parks and beaches was ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals court.

Supreme Court Rejects Mexicoโ€™s Lawsuit Against Gun Companies

SCOTUS said gun companies should not face lawsuit in which Mexican govt was trying to hold them liable for cartel-related violence involving firearms from US.

FDA Not Recommending Newly Approved COVID-19 Vaccine: Official

FDA approved a new COVID-19 vaccine but is not recommending people receive it, the agencyโ€™s top vaccine officials said on June 4.

Self-Sufficiency Summits in Ohio Reflect Surging Interest in Homesteading

After an age of reliance on store-bought items, many Americans are returning to a self-sufficient lifestyle and growing and raising the food they consume.

Judge Requires Trump Admin to Provide Due Process for Deportees in El Salvador Prison

Boasberg ordered Trump admin to provide habeas relief for individuals it deported and are held in Salvadoran maximum security prison.
spot_img

Related Articles