President Donald Trump has made religious freedom a cornerstone of his leadership, confronting anti-Christian bias at home and abroad.
His administration’s decisive actions, such as defending houses of worship from violence, challenging federal discrimination, and standing against ideologies hostile to traditional faith, have set a clear moral standard.
Now, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is building on that legacy.
This week, Cruz introduced the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025.
The legislation requires the State Department to designate Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
The bill is a direct response to the relentless slaughter of Christians in the African nation at the hands of radical Islamists.
For years, the Biden administration downplayed the crisis, even claiming the bloodshed was driven by “climate change.”
However, the Left’s spin ignored the reality that Christians in Nigeria have been hunted in their churches, hacked to death with machetes, burned alive, and terrorized by Fulani jihadists.
To dismiss such atrocities as “climate-related” was not only inaccurate but insulting to the victims and their families.
A Legal and Moral Mandate
Under the International Religious Freedom Act and the 2016 Frank Wolf amendment, countries that commit “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations” of religious freedom must be designated as Countries of Particular Concern.
That designation triggers a range of U.S. responses, from public condemnation to aid restrictions, meant to compel reform.
Nigeria’s repeated failure to stop Islamist massacres makes such action overdue.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) has long pressed the issue in the House, holding hearings and reminding lawmakers that Nigeria is the deadliest country in the world for Christians, responsible for over 69% of faith-based killings globally.
In just one decade, more than 145 Catholic priests were kidnapped, and at least 11 were murdered.
The independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has repeatedly recommended Nigeria for this designation, yet the Biden State Department refused to act, choosing politics over human rights.
The Human Cost
The scale of brutality is staggering.
TruthNigeria reports that at least 7,087 Christians have been massacred in Nigeria this year alone. Recent atrocities include:
In Benue State, Fulani jihadists ambushed Christian farmers, killing a father and daughter.
In Agatu County, machete-wielding militants murdered a mother and her teenage son in their home.
In Southern Kaduna, gunmen stormed a Sunday worship service on motorcycles, opening fire on the congregation.
Five Christians were killed, and others were abducted.
Churches, farms, and entire villages have become killing fields while local authorities look the other way.
A Clear Contrast
Sen. Cruz’s legislation sends a message, warning that Congress will no longer accept excuses or half-truths.
His effort is likely to find an ally in Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has a long record of defending religious freedom worldwide, from China to Cuba.
Cruz has also pointed to the deeper principle at stake.
In a recent exchange with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), he reminded colleagues that America’s rights come not from government but from God.
That conviction, he argued, compels the U.S. to stand with those persecuted for exercising their God-given rights.
The Biden administration’s refusal to act was a moral failure.
Cruz’s bill changes the equation by forcing Washington to confront reality.
Now it falls to President Trump’s administration to apply the tools of the International Religious Freedom Act, diplomatic pressure, targeted sanctions, and aid restrictions, until Nigeria takes action to protect its Christian citizens.
The blood of thousands demands justice.
Anything less is complicity.
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