Why did 34 GOP senators vote against religious freedom ambassador?

Mark Silk

Last Friday, the Senate voted 62-35 to confirm David Saperstein as the next Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. His nomination in July was hailed not only by liberals but also by conservatives, who had been criticizing President Obama for waiting months to fill a position they deem essential to advancing the cause of religious liberty around the world. So why did Republican senators vote 34-11 against him?

Head of Reform Judaism’s Religious Action Center for over three decades, Saperstein has been on the front lines of religious freedom for many years. In the early 1990s, he was the key figure in assembling the unprecedented (before or since) coalition of religious and civil liberties groups that persuaded Congress to pass the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). After the International Religious Liberty Act was passed in 1998, he served as the first chair of the independent commission it established to monitor religious freedom around the world. He co-chairs the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty.

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