ADF urges Biden admin not to discriminate against faith-based organizations

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Greg Baylor, director of the ADF Center for Religious Schools, regarding a formal comment ADF attorneys submitted Tuesday to nine federal agencies urging them not to discriminate against faith-based organizations that participate in federally funded programs:

“Religious beliefs motivate many Americans to help their neighbors in need, and these individuals and organizations shouldn’t be forced to abandon their religious character or mission before partnering with the government. But that’s just what the Biden administration is attempting to do in a newly proposed rule change. The language the administration is proposing to remove from existing rules ensures that faith-based organizations can preserve their religious autonomy and identity when participating in federally funded programs. By eliminating those protections, the Biden administration is unconstitutionally and unfairly targeting faith-based groups simply because of their religious character. Our public comment filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development urges it to respect the essential freedoms that the First Amendment protects. As the Supreme Court wrote in the ADF case Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Comer, to exclude anyone from a public benefit solely on the basis of religious identity ‘is odious to our Constitution…and cannot stand.’”

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

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