Sam Brownback Elected Ambassador of Religious Freedom

By Alison Lesley --
31 Jul 2017 --

Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Unpopular Governor Changes Roles

President Trump announced the nomination of Sam Brownback, the Kansas Governor, as the head of Office of International Religious Freedom.

His future responsibilities will include the monitoring of threats toward religious freedom and shaping an appropriate response to them all around the globe. Brownback will report directly to the secretary of state. Confirmation by the Senate is still needed.

Prior to being Governor of Kansas, Brownback represented his state as both a Congressman and a Senator. During his time as a Senator, he concentrated on religious freedom. He assisted with the creation of the International Religious Freedom Act, passed in 1998.

Brownback stated in both social media and a public statement he was happy with his new responsibilities.
https://twitter.com/govsambrownback/status/890362633039335424

Sam Brownback is currently regarded as one of the most unpopular governors. He instituted tax cuts in 2012 that severely hurt the economy of Kansas, causing even Republican state representatives to attack him. His rationale at that time was that the cuts would result in the flowering of the Kansas economy.

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers agreed to increase taxes, overriding Brownback’s veto.

Anthony Hensley, the Senior Democratic Leader from Topeka, tweeted that Senator Brownback will be noted for being an extremely unpopular governor in the United States.