Washington, D.C. — Center for American Progress Executive Vice President for External Affairs Winnie Stachelberg issued the following statement on the religious liberty executive order expected to be signed by President Donald Trump that would effectively eliminate enforcement of the prohibition against houses of worship being politically active and maintaining their tax-exempt status and give religious employers the ability to limit health care choices for their employees based on employers’ religious beliefs.
Since he took office, President Trump has demonstrated blatant disregard for our nation’s core values and the Constitution he loudly proclaims to defend. Based on what we know so far, it appears this executive order debases our houses of worship as simply another tool of dark money politics. People of faith have already spoken: They don’t want partisanship from the pulpit. This order also targets the health and well-being of millions of people, including women and families for whom access to preventive care and contraceptive coverage is key to their economic security. Further, while done in the name of religious liberty, it empowers employers to impose health care restrictions on employees with no regard for the employees’ religious and moral convictions.
What little detail we have suggests that this administration will use this order to continue its attacks on women, LGBT people, Muslims, and others who remain vulnerable to discrimination.
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, contact Tom Caiazza at [email protected] or 202.481.7141.