Americans United urged federal agencies to block federal cash from ending up in the hands of organizations with blatantly religious agendas
In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alfonso Jackson and Department of Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, Americans United challenges 10 grants of public dollars for religious organizations or programs that appear to violate the First Amendment principle of the separation of church and state.
The Americans United letter identifies an additional 16 earmarks that raise constitutional concerns and should only be issued if the federal agencies “can ensure that the grant funds will be restricted to secular activities and not be used to support religious coercion or discrimination….”
“Government pork for religious work is never kosher,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “The federal government should never use public funds to directly support religious missions. The bulk of these earmarks are highly suspect because they are directed at groups or programs that include heavy doses of proselytization.”
Americans United’s letter notes that the departments of Justice (DOJ), Housing (HUD), Education (DOE) and Health and Human Services (HHS) all have regulations intended to bar direct funding of overtly religious work.
I have some small hope that this behavior will end when the democrats take over next year.
