WASHINGTON, D.C. (EP) - Although he signed the International Religious Freedom Act into law Oct. 27, President Clinton requested no funds for its enforcement in his budget proposals for the year 2000. In a scathing speech delivered on the House floor Feb. 12, U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) took Clinton to task for his lack of action on this issue, saying, "It says that he is all talk and no action; big hat, no cattle; talk about it, get the credit, but do not follow through."
Wolf also noted that Clinton has still not made his three appointments to the Commission on International Religious Freedom created by the act, even though most of the other appointments authorized by the act have been made. "The Republicans in Congress were the first to make theirs, despite a challenge in the Speaker of the House. Four individuals were appointed at the end of December," said Wolf. "Senator has found time to name a commissioner. Where is the administration? How many people have died or been tortured for their faith while the administration sits on its hands?"
Wolf recapped reports of religious persecution around the world. "We know in the Chinese prisons torture is common. Last month the Vatican reported that authorities tortured one Catholic priest by subjecting him to sexual abuse by prostitutes," he said. "The Chinese government continues to arrest, harass and torture leaders of China's Protestant church. Most of the key leaders are on the run for fear of their lives, and are moving from place to place to avoid being thrown into prison. In Tibet, where I visited last year, the Chinese government has continued its brutal assault on Tibetan Buddhists."
Wolf continued, "In Sudan, two million people have died, the majority of them Christians and animists from southern Sudan. The government of Sudan is seeking to annihilate the population of southern Sudan by engaging in brutal war tactics that include high altitude bombing of civilian targets. ... There is slavery in Sudan today, women and children, yet this administration does absolutely nothing about it. They are absolutely silent."
Wolf noted that although the Clinton Administration has taken credit for the International Religious Persecution Act, it actually worked to keep the bill from passing. "Only after the Administration's best efforts to defeat the bill were thwarted, the President then did the right thing and signed the bill. He put himself on the right side of history. He has had nothing but good things to say about the bill ever since," said Wolf. "That is what makes this budget decision--a deletion, meaning they have asked no money for the commission--very, very troublesome. I am beginning to think that it is just words and no action."
Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson joined Wolf's criticism in a Feb. 16 broadcast. Colson noted that Clinton emphasized his administration's work on behalf of religious freedom during the National Prayer Breakfast, but added, "The President, who despite his words at the prayer breakfast, had fought to keep anything but the most toothless, watered down version of the bill from passage, reluctantly signed it."
Colson continued, "Congress authorized $3 million to fund the act, but while the president found $3 million to protect endangered scallops in New England, and found another $150 million to give to 'starving artists' through the National Endowment for the Arts, he could not find even $3 to help endangered and starving Christians."
After urging his listeners to pressure the White House on this issue, Colson concluded, "If we allow the President to ignore the law, we will be sending a message to the thugs of the world that, act or no act, we will sit by and do nothing while they torture and kill people of faith."
Wolf pledged that he and Senator Don Nickles would work to secure full funding for enforcement of the religious persecution act.
Wolf praised the appointment of Dr. Bob Seiple as assistant to the Secretary of State for International Religious Freedom, but said, "The President cannot just appear before the gatherings of religious leaders and mention Bob Seiple's name in order to get the kudos with the audience and then walk away and do nothing. That would be, I believe, immoral, and I believe it would be an affront to those who are suffering and dying for their faith around the world."
If the Clinton administration is not serious about fighting religious persecution, said Wolf, Seiple "should do the honorable thing and should resign, so he is not being used by this administration."
Seiple was out of the country and could not be reached for comment.
Richard Cizik, who heads the Office of Government Affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals and who worked to secure passage of the religious persecution measure, suggested that Wolf and Colson may be reading too much into the omission of funding for the commission. "This is hopefully an oversight that can be corrected in the budgetary process," he said. "I have to believe that this is not an intentional oversight. Why would the President announce at the National Prayer Breakfast that he's going to name people to the commission, and then give them no money to operate?"
Cizik added, "I'm not sure it's fair to say that President Clinton did not see the Commission as a priority. It's my understanding he's going to make his nominations by the end of March. I'm hopeful that when he announces his appointments he will make a major policy address, laying what could be a legacy he's creating."
Cizik concluded, "The President has to act on his own advisory committee's recommendations, and that will be as telling as anything else. I think this other budgetary matter is an oversight. Whether he acts on his committee's report will indicate what action he's going to take in the next two years."
(EP -- Evangelical Press News Service)
(Post date: February 21, 1999)