Respect for Marriage Act and Lame Duck Spending
Republicans have the power to fight for conservative values. Will they?
The House and Senate have advanced the “Respect for Marriage Act” which would repeal an earlier law that defended marriage as being between one man and one woman. It would allow lawsuits against people and institutions who simply hold a different view on marriage.
Because federal law provides for same sex marriage as a result of the Supreme Court’s Obergfell and Windsor decisions, the only effect this bill would have is to harass religious institutions and individuals.
It would threaten religious institutions such as churches, universities, charities, and adoption centers with lawsuits, removal of tax-exempt status, and even closure.
Roger Severino of The Heritage Foundation breaks down the bill and the myths surrounding it.
The bill has been able to advance to such a late stage due to gaining the support of 12 Republicans who have been fooled into believing this bill adequately protects religious liberty.
As a citizen, it is our duty to hold Congress accountable. It’s not too late! They need to hear from you.
So continue to contact your Representative and Senators to hold the line, and defend the rights of individuals who have the right to disagree with same-sex relationships.
From ConservativePartnership.org:
The Senate – before leaving last week, 12 Republican senators joined Democrats in greenlighting The Respect for Marriage Act, a bill to remove the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law which was rendered inoperative by the Supreme Court’s Windsor and Obergefell decisions.
Many on the conservative and libertarian right seem to think this bill, by saying the words “religious liberty,” protects the exercise thereof. It cannot be stated in clearer terms: this bill does no such thing, and by failing to state in explicit terms that the tax exempt status of nonprofits and religious organizations will be protected, opens up the door to perpetual harassment of organizations and individuals with traditional views of marriage.
The upshot, in other words, is that The Respect for Marriage Act will make Jack Philips out of us all. Philips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakes, is stuck in perpetual litigation for his traditional views on marriage – litigation brought with the sole intent of bankrupting and destroying him. Does he have freedom of religion? By law, he does, which is why he continues to win in court – even at the Supreme Court. But in practice, having to spend thousands of dollars and a decade in continued litigation to defend the ability to exercise your God-given right as an American is hardly religious freedom as the Founders understood it. And that distinction is exactly what is on the line with The Respect for Marriage Act.
The Senate is only a third of the way through passage of the bill. Senator Mike Lee has an amendment that would actually meaningfully protect the free exercise of religion. He has joined 20 other GOP senators in asking their colleagues not to provide further votes for cloture unless his amendment is adopted.
Regardless, the bill itself makes a mess of what it says it intends to protect. For more on the bill’s flawed construct, how it will lead to the harassment of individuals and nonprofits by the IRS and private litigants, and how it opens the door to approval of polygamy (and more!), see the following:
Roger Severino at the Heritage Foundation addresses false claims about the RFMA and details how the existing religious freedom language in the bill is flawed
Q&A on the flaws in the RFMA from Alliance Defending Freedom
“Same-Sex marriage bill opens the door to American persecution” from Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council
Lame Duck Spending
Once again Congress needs to pass a Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded. The Democrats, who have lost their majority in the House, will try to pass as much bad legislation as they can before they lose power. Here is a brief overview of the kind of policy they are trying to pass:
Omnibus spending would spend trillions of dollars to fund liberal priorities until September of 2023
$30+ billion in aid for the Ukrainian government with no transparency on how the funds are spent
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act would protect women from being discriminated against in the workplace, but does not provide protections for religious liberty. This would allow workers to compel religious organizations like Catholic Charities to give them time off/accommodations for abortions
An omnibus would be a vehicle for Pelosi to pass Biden’s failed policy agenda for a third year.
So continue to contact your Representative and Senators to hold the line on spending.
Further, in the new Congress, appropriations bills should be written in a transparent and open process that allows all members to participate. When Congress writes legislation behind closed doors, it is the American people who lose.
Video (6 minutes) Can Totalitarianism Happen in America?
Enjoy Your Thanksgiving Day, and stay engaged for more action in Congress and locally.
Until next time…
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