Bush Expands Faith-Based Initiative to Vouchers, State Control

In an effort to further weaken the wall separating church and state, President Bush is seeking to expand his faith-based initiative to the state and local levels. He is pushing state and local governments to adopt rules and policies similar to federal regulations that favor faith-based groups in government-funded programs. Most federal grant services programs are administered at the local and state levels. According to a report issued last year by the Roundtable on Religion and Social Policy, only a few states have made the specific regulatory changes aimed at increasing participation by the faith-based service providers. However, many faith-based groups have been receiving government grants for years. Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (FBCI) has reassured state groups that the Bush administration is committed to further easing regulations of faith-based groups. President Bush has, through executive order, mandated that federal funds be awarded to faith-based groups even if they refuse to follow state and federal civil rights laws. For example, in Maine, state laws bar federal grants to religious groups that discriminate against minorities. In a meeting with the leaders of Catholic Charities of Maine, Towey stated that the White House was studying "what to do when local ordinances discriminate against faith based groups like they do here in Portland". The Bush administration has repeatedly failed to win Congressional approval of its faith-based initiative because it permits federal dollars to be awarded to religious groups that discriminate in hiring. In response, the administration has issued executive orders that force several federal agencies to award public dollars to faith-based groups without the usual constitutional safeguards. Additionally, the Bush administration will continue to push vouchers as a way to fund faith-based service providers. Currently, any organization that provides direct federal funding for social welfare services is prohibited from using such funds for "inherently religious activities." However, new regulations pushed through by the administration created a system of vouchers to allow faith-based organizations to get around the inherently religious activities restriction. When the organization receives indirect government funding, for instance, vouchers, they are not required to separate the financed service from the inherently religious activity. These regulations were approved despite the fact that Congress did not pass H.R. 7, the Charitable Choice Act of 2001, which contained a similar provision. Using these regulations, the Bush administration has extended the use of vouchers to provide funding to organizations offering substance abuse treatment, childcare, and job treatment. This has marked a major shift in the constitutional separation of church and state. For example, in August, Bush announced $43 million in funding for faith-based organizations and stated, "one of the most effective ways our government can help those in need is to help the charities and community groups that are doing God's work every day. That's what I believe government ought to do." The administration has encouraged faith-based groups to develop programs to treat substance abuse. It has proposed the Access to Recovery program, which provides $100 million in vouchers to recipients of social services in up to 15 states. Recipients use the vouchers to choose rehabilitation programs, including those that are faith-based. Without vouchers, many faith-based groups would not have applied for the grants. To receive direct funding, the faith-based organizations would have been subjected to government oversight and increased scrutiny from watchdog organizations. Vouchers effectively remove the oversight attached to direct funding by eliminating the question of whether there has been a mingling of religious services with the federally funded program. Historically, Americans have been free to contribute only to the religious groups of their choosing. Voucher programs violate this principle by forcing taxpayers to subsidize religious social service programs that have minimal government oversight. Taxpayers should not be required to subsidize programs that may promote concepts they disagree with. People in need should not be forced to participate in religious activity in order to receive vital services. In addition, the voucher system assumes a range of choices in service providers that is rare. It does not look like the faith-based train is going to stop anytime soon. In his announcement publicizing the addiction vouchers that will fund religious programs, Bush stated, "Government is not good at changing hearts. The Almighty God is good at changing hearts, which happens to be the cornerstone of effective faith-based programs." His comments do not address the role poverty plays in the need for services. A change in heart does not produce a change in income. For more information on faith-based programs see:
  • ">The Expanding Administrative Presidency: George W. Bush and the Faith-Based Initiative
  • Death by a Thousand Cuts (OMB Watch)
  • HR 7 In-Depth (OMB Watch)
  • Analysis of Charitable Choice (OMB Watch)
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