Republican Virginia Rep. Bob Good is preparing a Congressional Review Act resolution rolling back a Biden administration rule that could discriminate against faith-based federal contractors, he told the Daily Caller.
“Religious liberty is one of our most fundamental freedoms and was appropriately enshrined by our founders in the First Amendment. It must be protected at all costs from the Biden Administration’s unwarranted assault on faith-based organizations seeking federal funding. These organizations are meeting real needs in our communities, such as facilitating substance abuse prevention programs,” Good said in a statement.
The Trump administration formalized a rule in Dec. 2020 expanding the definition of religious liberty, but the Department of Labor rolled it back in March. The Trump administration rule chiefly expanded the definition of religion to include “all aspects of religious observance and practice,” not just belief. However, the updated rule asserts that the Trump administration’s rule “increased confusion and uncertainty about the religious exemption.”
Good’s resolution eliminates the Biden rule and returns existing law to the Trump-era definitions. Republican North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd is introducing companion legislation in the upper chamber. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Bob Good To Introduce Resolution Overturning Biden’s Student Loan Giveaway)
“President Biden chose to rescind the Trump-era rule that strengthened protections for both their eligibility for funds and their freedom of religion. My resolution of disapproval will help keep those protections in place,” the congressman added.
Read the resolution here:
Good 026 XML by Michael Ginsberg on Scribd
Federal contractors are also protected by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Legislation passed in 1993 intended to allow faith-based organizations to more fully participate in public life. The law prohibits the federal government from “substantially burden[ing] a person’s exercise of religion even if the burden results froma rule of general applicability.”
Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), representatives and senators may introduce resolutions disapproving of executive branch orders, rules, and regulations. The resolutions are privileged, meaning that chamber leaders must bring them to the floor for votes and senators may not filibuster them. President Joe Biden has vetoed resolutions overturning rules regulating environmental, social, and governance investing and waterways.