The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) welcomed President Trump’s nominations of Jane “Cissie” Lynch to be the Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom (IRF) and the appointments of Andrew Brunson, Robert Barron, and Joe Grogan to be Commissioners on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Beyond leading the International Religious Freedom Office at the State Department, Ambassador-Designate Lynch would also serve as an ex-officio member of the Commission.
“President Trump’s announcement is a vital step in advancing the human right of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) abroad. USCIRF calls for a swift confirmation process for IRF Ambassador-Designate Lynch,” said Chair Asif Mahmood. “Filling these roles demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the United States to international religious freedom as a priority in foreign policy.”
The Ambassador at Large and Commissioner roles are established in the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA), as amended. Beyond the status as an ex-officio member of the Commission, IRFA stipulates that the Ambassador also serves as the principal executive branch official working on FoRB. The Commission, an independent legislative branch agency, has members that are appointed on a bipartisan basis, three from the President, three from U.S. Senate leadership, and three from leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives. With President Donald J. Trump’s appointment of three new USCIRF Commissioners, USCIRF now has the requisite complement of bipartisan Commissioners as outlined in IRFA.
“In addition to the announcement of the nomination of Ambassador-Designate Lynch, we welcome the three new USCIRF Commissioners: Robert Barron, Andrew Brunson, and Joe Grogan,” said Vice Chair CeCe Heil. “With these appointments, USCIRF’s full bipartisan composition further supports our efforts to advance religious freedom abroad for all. We look forward to working together.”
Robert Barron was appointed to USCIRF by President Donald J. Trump. He serves as the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. He hosted the PBS documentary series Catholicism, and he is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries. He formerly served on the domestic policy focused Religious Liberty Commission. In 2015, Pope Francis appointed Barron an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Andrew Brunson was appointed to USCIRF by President Donald J. Trump. He is a pastor and former missionary in Turkey for 23 years. In 2016, he was arrested on false charges and kept in detention for two years. Released after diplomatic pressure, he authored the memoir God’s Hostage and leads WaveStarters, a ministry focused on persecuted Christians globally.
Joe Grogan was appointed to USCIRF by President Donald J. Trump. He is the former director of the U.S. Domestic Policy Council and assistant to President Trump. As a public policy and healthcare expert, he has worked across sectors from Wall Street, Life Sciences and Emerging Technologies. He is a Visiting Senior Scholar at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Institute.
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