ACLU Opposes Religious Discrimination with Taxpayer Funds
With the passage of the C.A.R.E. Act (S. 476) last year, the Senate made clear that it would not allow federally funded religious discrimination. Despite this, the Bush Administration and several Members of Congress continue to seek funding for religious discrimination.

The Community Services Block Grant is a multi-million dollar fund used to address the causes and conditions of poverty and to assist people in achieving economic self-sufficiency. In the coming days a bill to reauthorize this grant (H.R. 3030) will be voted on by the House of Representatives. In its current form this legislation includes provisions that allow discrimination or misuse of government funds by religious organizations.

Government can and does work collaboratively with faith-based organizations. When these organizations receive public dollars, however, they must play by the same rules as other non-profits. Whether an organization is faith-based or not, there must be adequate protections in place to protect individual civil rights and religious freedom. If the bill passes in its current form, it would allow religious organizations to discriminate according to religion when hiring staff for these taxpayer-funded services.