Religious persecution came to a head under former President Joe Biden's administration, weaponizing the government to imprison pro-life protesters and censoring Americans for holding views they deemed unorthodox.

But under President Donald Trump's new administration, Vice President JD Vance outlined all the efforts that have already been made to eliminate the religious persecution pushed by predecessors.

'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?'

"We are only in the third week of his second term, but I think it's safe to say we've accomplished maybe more in the last two weeks than a lot of administrations have in a few years," Vance said during his remarks at the International Religious Freedom Summit on Wednesday. "But this administration is intent on not just restoring but on expanding the achievements of the first four years and certainly of the last two weeks."

"In this short period, the president has issued orders to end the weaponization of the federal government against religious Americans, pardon pro-life protesters who were unjustly imprisoned under the last administration, and importantly, stop the federal censorship used to prevent Americans from speaking their conscience and speaking their mind, whether it's in their communities or online," Vance added.

Vance reiterated the administration's dedication to religious liberty, referring to recent scandals that revealed egregious instances of government overreach and misuse of taxpayer dollars to push anti-American agendas across the globe.

"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 of it," Vance said. "In recent years, too often has our nation's international engagement on religious liberty issues been corrupted and distorted to the point of absurdity. Think about this: 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 added.

Vance pointed to key players in the administration who will work to bolster religious freedom, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Vance noted that Rubio, who was unanimously confirmed by the Senate, holds a "dedication of religious liberty" that "flows from his faith," calling him one of the "great living champions of religious freedom across the globe."

Notably, Rubio has taken over as acting director of USAID, which previously dedicated tens of millions of dollars of funding to anti-American programs and anti-Christian NGOs around the world.

"Both at home and abroad, we have much more to do to more fully secure religious liberty for all people of faith," Vance said. "I am grateful for the painstaking work that everyone in this room has poured into that effort, and I pray that together, we will be able to better protect the dignity of all peoples, as well as the rights of all believers to practice their faith according to the dictates of their conscience."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!