Vance defends cuts to foreign aid 'spreading atheism' at religious freedom summit

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- Vice President JD Vance defended cuts to U.S. foreign aid in remarks to the International Religious Freedom Summit Feb. 5, arguing the funds were "spreading atheism" abroad.

Although he did not name the agency, Vance's comments came as the Trump administration moved to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, the government's humanitarian aid agency. Elon Musk, tech billionaire and ally of President Donald Trump, targeted it for closure as part of the efforts of his Department of Government Efficiency, an unofficial task force with the stated intent of curbing federal spending. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested some of its functions would be rolled into the State Department.

"Now, our administration believes we must stand for religious freedom, not just as a legal principle, as important as that is, but as a lived reality, both within our own borders and especially outside our borders," Vance said.

U.S. engagement on religious liberty issues abroad has "been corrupted and distorted to the point of concern," Vance argued.

"Think about it: How did America get to the point where we're sending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars abroad to NGOs that are dedicated to spreading atheism all over the globe? That is not what leadership on protecting the rights of the faithful looks like, and it ends with this administration," Vance said.

Vance did not specify which NGOs he was making the claim about. According to a review by Forbes, USAID's top NGO recipient for fiscal years 2013-2022 was Catholic Relief Services at $4.6 billion. The nonprofit, which is the U.S. Catholic Church's overseas relief and development agency, is dedicated to assisting people who are poor and vulnerable overseas, reducing social and economic pressures that push people to leave their homes and migrate, in accordance with Catholic teaching.

Cuts to foreign assistance directly impacted the work of some of the religious freedom organizations at the summit. Reception to Vance's speech was mixed as a result. Some applauded Vance's remarks. But one individual left the room immediately after Vance's comments, saying in earshot of gathered members of the press that the vice president was "gaslighting" them.

Elsewhere in his comments, Vance said religious freedom "is the freedom to practice one's own faith and act according to one's own conscience, and it's, of course, the bedrock of civil society in the United States of America and across the world."

Vance touted actions taken by the first Trump administration -- including steps to protect the conscience rights of hospital workers and faith-based health care ministries who decline to participate in certain procedures such as abortion -- as bedrock items for the second administration.

Vance walked out to his campaign theme song "America First."

The annual summit in Washington brings together a broad coalition of faith groups and policymakers seeking to foster religious freedom around the globe.

Actor Rainn Wilson, best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the NBC sitcom The Office, addressed the conference virtually right after Vance's comments. He called it a "strange and profound honor" to follow the vice president and quipped he could play Vance in a "TV movie."

Wilson discussed the persecution of his fellow adherents of the Bahá'í faith, a universalist religion, In Iran.