WASHINGTON (OSV News) — President Donald Trump went to several Middle Eastern countries on his first official foreign trip of his second term.
The same week in Washington, a new book on former President Joe Biden alleged aides covered up a mental and physical decline during his time in the White House, and a congressional resolution would honor Pope Leo XIV on his election.
— Trump travels to the Middle East
Although he traveled to Italy and Vatican City for the funeral Mass of the late Pope Francis in April, Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates marked the first official foreign trip of his second term.
During the trip, Qatar and the U.S. reached a $1.2 trillion economic agreement, while Saudi Arabia pledged to invest $600 billion in the U.S. economy. But it remains to be seen how those deals will materialize.
While in Abu Dhabi, Trump visited the Abrahamic Family House — a cultural site symbolizing peace that houses a church, a mosque and a synagogue. St. Francis Church is Catholic, but the site’s website states “it is open for the personal prayer to all Christian denominations.”
The trip comes amid a controversy over Trump’s stated desire to accept a $400 million plane from Qatar to serve as the new aircraft for Air Force One, an idea many of his fellow Republicans have raised ethical or legal concerns about.
Without mentioning that controversy, a May 13 statement from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged Trump to raise religious freedom concerns during his visit to that country.
“The Qatari government’s concerning escalation of actions against members of minority religious communities undercuts its claims of progress toward religious tolerance. Governments cannot target religious communities and claim to advance religious freedom,” Stephen Schneck, USCIRF chair, said in a statement. “U.S. allies should embrace a full commitment to freedom of religion or belief.”
— House budget committee blocks Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” for now
The GOP-led House Budget Committee voted May 16 to reject a sweeping package for Trump’s agenda, marking a setback for Republican leaders.
Conservatives on the House Budget Committee blocked the package, arguing it would add too much to the federal deficit.
The move threatens Republican leadership’s attempt to pass what Trump calls his “big, beautiful bill” — which would enact key provisions of his legislative agenda on tax and immigration policy — before Memorial Day.
OSV News previously reported the package could include steep cuts to Medicaid, a joint federal and state health insurance program for low-income and disabled Americans, as part of an effort to reduce federal spending.
— USCIRF praises Pope Leo for continuing Vatican’s international religious freedom work
USCIRF, an independent, bipartisan U.S. government commission that monitors religious freedom around the globe, issued a statement May 16 praising Pope Leo for demonstrating the Vatican would continue its advocacy for international religious freedom during his papacy.
“USCIRF commends His Holiness Pope Leo XIV for highlighting the importance of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for persecuted religious communities,” Schneck said in a statement.
“Throughout the world, we are seeing a significant rise of religious persecution against Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and other religious minorities. It is heartening to see His Holiness speak forcefully on religious freedom so early on in his pontificate.”
USCIRF pointed to comments by Pope Leo, the first U.S.-born pontiff, in his May 8 speech on the importance of building “bridges and dialogue.”
“We are hopeful that Pope Leo’s expressed concern for international religious freedom, including the fight against antisemitism, will bring greater tolerance and respect for the rights of persecuted religious communities,” Meir Soloveichik, USCIRF vice chair, said in a statement. “The ability to practice one’s faith openly and freely is a universal right that must be defended and protected.”
— Book alleges Biden forgot names of aides and allies
The first excerpts of a book titled “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” — by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios correspondent Alex Thompson, scheduled to be published May 20 — alleged that Biden sometimes forgot the names of longtime aides and political allies during his time in the White House.
The book alleged that aides also worried he might need a wheelchair in his second term, and were concerned about the optics of him using one.
In an interview earlier in May on “The View,” during which Biden was joined by his wife, former first lady Jill Biden, the couple disputed reports of his cognitive decline and a subsequent cover-up by aides.
“They are wrong. There’s nothing to sustain that,” former President Biden said of the allegations.
In his final days in office, OSV News examined how Catholicism is an integral albeit complex part of Biden’s legacy, both in his overt public observance of the faith and in areas where his public policy sometimes diverged from church teaching.
— Congressional resolution would honor Pope Leo XIV
On May 14, Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., introduced a resolution with 20 of his House colleagues to honor Pope Leo on his election.
“I was thrilled to hear of Pope Leo’s XIV election to the Chair of St. Peter, and have felt a tremendous sense of national pride that an American now leads the Catholic Church,” Moore, a Catholic, said in a statement. “I pray the Lord blesses the Holy Father with the great wisdom and unyielding courage necessary to preach the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Although most of Moore’s co-sponsors were Republicans, Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., co-led the resolution with Moore. Among the co-sponsors was Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. Suozzi and Smith are also Catholic.
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
