From Americans United for Separation of Church and State.On Feb. 5, President Barack Obama named a new executive director for his White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and signed an executive order creating a 25-member advisory council of religious and community leaders.
But civil rights and civil liberties advocates were disappointed to see that Obama left completely untouched five Bush-era executive orders and numerous agency regulations and rulings that allow publicly funded religious groups to discriminate in hiring on religious grounds and permit public funds to pay for construction and renovation of buildings used for worship.
That means billions of tax dollars in the federal pipeline are being allocated today under the controversial Bush-era rules.
“I would rather there be no ‘faith-based’ office,” said Americans United Executive Director Barry W. Lynn. “But if it exists, it must comply with long-established protections guaranteeing civil rights and civil liberties.”
AU’s Lynn urges every American to contact the White House.
Ask President Obama to issue an executive order barring proselytism and employment bias in all publicly funded programs run by faith-based organizations. In addition, the president should put in place such other civil liberties safeguards as may be necessary to ensure that all programs are accountable to the public, effectively achieve their objectives and do not use taxpayer dollars to advance religion.
Contact the White House today!
You can also contact the president’s office in these ways:
- Through the White House comment site: www.whitehouse.gov/contact
- By phone:
the comments line is 202-456-1111
the switchboard is 202-456-1414
the FAX number is 202-456-2461 - By mail:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500.
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