A group of U.S. senators say Christians are under attack throughout the world, and religious freedom needs to be reprioritized in the U.S. and abroad.

Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, a Republican who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a resolution that reasserts America’s role as a global leader for religious liberty.

Specifically, the resolution seeks to reaffirm that the U.S. continue to “promote, protect, and expand inalienable and internationally recognized right to freedom of religion.” It further encourages U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “use all available tools and resources to discourage foreign governments from continuing patterns of violations.”

The legislation is backed by a dozen fellow GOP senators.

“Christians face alarming levels of persecution, from social discrimination to legal restrictions to systematic oppression,” Risch said in a statement, referencing countries around the world. “All people deserve the internationally recognized right to practice their freedom of religion, share their convictions, and live according to their beliefs without fear of reprisal. … America must continue to be a leader in defending religious freedom at home and abroad, and we must push our allies to do so as well.”

Risch, 82, a three-term U.S. senator and former Idaho governor, is running for reelection. He is endorsed by President Donald Trump, who has made protections for Christians a cornerstone of his Make America Great Again political movement, commonly known as MAGA.

Three weeks ago, on Christmas — celebrated by Christians the world over as the day of Jesus Christ’s birth — Trump ordered missile strikes against Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria. He cited the deaths of Christians in the West African nation at the hands of “ISIS Terrorist Scum” as the reason.

“May God Bless our Military, and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” Trump wrote on social media.

Pope Leo XIV, who was born in the U.S. and leads the Catholic Church, said last week that threats to religious freedom are on the rise across the world, including discrimination against Christians. But he advocated for peace through diplomacy and dialogue, rather than through threats of force.

The resolution brought forward by Risch pledges the U.S. to “always support those seeking freedom from authoritarian repression against our shared and inalienable rights.”

Todd Achilles, 58, a U.S. Army veteran and former Idaho state representative from Boise, is running against Risch for Senate as an independent. Also a Christian, he warned against the use of the U.S. military to impose on other countries America’s religious freedoms guaranteed under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

“Christians, like myself, those of other faiths, or no faith at all, should stand shoulder-to-shoulder to defend religious liberty,” Achilles said in a statement to the Idaho Statesman. “I will always support the freedom to worship, but I caution against military intervention to enforce this in other places around the world. We must continue to serve as an example to the world that people of all backgrounds can live in liberty and freedom. There is a reason President Ronald Reagan referred to our nation as the ‘shining city upon a hill.’ ”

Supported by fellow Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, Risch’s resolution calls on Rubio to “continue to engage on matters of religious freedom with friendly nations to prevent further erosion of religious freedom.”

“Religious freedom is an inalienable right and the bedrock principle of a free nation,” Crapo said in a statement. “Protecting the rights of individuals to express their religious beliefs without threat of discrimination or harm by the government or others is of paramount importance, and the United States must continue to lead the defense of this right globally.”

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