Lieberman Lectures on Charitable Choice to Jewish Convention
By Mindy Finn
WASHINGTON – Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn., said Tuesday that though he shares President Bush’s desire that more federal funds go to faith-based charities, he wants to be sure faith-based groups don’t use their increased strength as an excuse for religious discrimination.
America should have the opportunity to rely on faith-based organizations for “repairing serious holes in our social fabric,” Lieberman told more than 250 delegates to this year’s General Assembly of United Jewish Communities. But, he added, we need “an agreement that will strike the right balance of inclusion and to harness the best forces of faith in our public life without infringing on the First Amendment or excluding those with different beliefs.”
United Jewish Communities represents 189 Jewish federations, 400 independent communities and 700,000 people across North America.
“Al Gore and I both spoke out during last year’s national campaign for expanding the place of faith-based organizations at the public policy table in a way that is consistent with the First Amendment,” Lieberman, who was Gore’s running mate last year, told the delegates.
The House has already approved a bill that would provide federal money to religious organizations that offer social services. It would also prohibit discrimination and require that the government funds not be used to advocate religious beliefs. But Lieberman said that the House bill it does not provide sufficient funds to charitable religious organizations.
Lieberman said he encourages swift approval of a Senate version of the bill, which would allow for Americans to take tax deductions for their donations to faith-based charity organizations even if they don’t itemize on their tax returns. When Lieberman joined Bush and Senate colleague Rick Santorum, R-Pa., at a White House meeting last July, he said he “got the impression that President was open to finding a way to do just that.”
Unfortunately, Lieberman said, Sept. 11 altered the original schedule for considering the bill, but the need is even more immediate now because “non-profits are being hit hard with everyone giving to the relief effort and· the demand for service is shooting up.”
He said he thought it was important to express his support for the President’s proposal to use faith-based charities as vehicles for the government’s social services to show that it is a bipartisan effort. He said Bush has expressed a desire to get the legislation passed before the end of the year after an economic stimulus package is approved. But Lieberman said he would like to see Congress approve the faith-based charities bill regardless of what it does on the economic legislation, declaring that the charities bill would itself stimulate the economy.
But Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, speaking at the same forum, said he opposed not only the House bill but also any legislation he that expands government funds for faith-based organizations that discriminate against those of other faiths. Nadler said that some people who were invited to the White House conference on faith-based charity recently want to use government money to advance not just charity but sectarian views as well. He said he could foresee fights between religious groups over who gets what portion of federal funds.
As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Nadler said, he has witnessed the “fierce” fights over how to divide the highway money. “Can you imagine the annual political fights between the Baptists, the Episcopalians, the Jews and the Catholics over which religious groups should receive which share of the available federal social service funding?” he asked.
“It is no business of government to decide which is a good or worthy religion or which is not, but if you are giving out public money, those are the kinds of controversial decisions you are going to have to make,” he added.
Nadler said that while the intent may be good, “the proposal that passed the House will serve to change the rules of the game and to undermine our fundamental liberties guaranteed to all of us in the Constitution.”
“The real objective,” he added, “is to eliminate to a very large extent the anti-discrimination laws and the provisions against sectarian activities with federal funds.”
Nadler asked, “Do we need legislation that would exempt all these so-called faith-based programs from our civil rights laws?”
Lieberman, however, contended that “faith can be a great and enduring source of values-a powerful inspiration to live a good life, and we know many faith-based and charitable and service organizations are capitalizing on this potential and helping to rekindle and transform live.”
