New Senate majority dims faith-based hopes

Christian Century, June 20, 2001

Democrats had hardly assumed control of the U.S. Senate in the first week of June before they promised increased scrutiny of, and an uphill battle about, President Bush's faith-based initiatives, thus forcing Republicans and the White House to offer concessions to the controversial plan to funnel government money to religious charities.

Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, launched the first Senate hearings on the bill June 6 with concerns that Bush's desire to expand the "charitable choice" program would lead to government "meddling" with religion. "There is an old saying about a certain road that is paved with good intentions," Leahy said. "Charitable choice may be well intentioned, but I have grave concerns about where it may lead us."

The other senator from Vermont, James M. Jeffords, broke from the Republican Party days earlier by proclaiming himself an independent--a move that gave the Democratic Party a 50-49 edge in the Senate.

With the Senate now in Democratic hands, Bush's plan faces stiff opposition from key Democrats such as Leahy who now control the flow of legislation. House Republicans promise a vote on their bill by Labor Day, but momentum has waned on their side as well.

Under the Bush plan, religious groups would be able to apply for federal money for social programs, from soup kitchens to after-school tutoring. The plan has drawn vocal opposition from both left and right, who worry that it could jeopardize the separation of church and state and dilute the message of religious groups. Senator Joe Biden (D., Del.) also expressed reservations: "They say if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and I'm not sure we're not going to break something that's already fixed."

In testimony prepared for the opening hearing, the Anti-Defamation League called the program "constitutionally suspect and bad public policy." But another Jewish group, the Orthodox Union, warned that the faith-based plan is a good program that has become a "political Rorschach test, with some interest groups projecting their worst fears upon it."

Orrin G. Hatch (R., Utah), the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the debate over the newest version of charitable choice programs has been partisan in tone for the first time. According to the Washington Times, Hatch cited a Pew poll that said 75 percent of Americans support the religion-government partnerships to help the needy, while Leahy cited the same survey to note that 68 percent are concerned about "government interference" with religious groups.

Critics say there is no safeguard against religious groups using the money for proselytizing and conversion. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.), the bill's main sponsor in the Senate, signaled a willingness to bargain by accepting stricter regulations that would force churches to set up separate, nonprofit corporations to manage the government money. "That is certainly something I would be amenable to," Santorum said.

The White House stepped up its push for the bill, with Bush dismissing criticism "from the halls of Congress" while he helped build a Habitat for Humanity house in Tampa, Florida, on June 5. "Those who worry about faith in our society, and government's willingness to stand side-by-side with faith, don't understand the power of faith and the promise of faith and the hope of faith," said Bush.

Meanwhile, Bush's denomination, the United Methodist Church, has published advisory guidelines for congregations that may want to compete for government funds--though the three church agencies cooperating on the report warned congregations not to "chase the money."

Methodists have not adopted an official statement on the Bush plan, although the church's social policy agency opposes it. Last year Methodists reaffirmed a 1980 statement that said church-sponsored welfare agencies could, "under certain circumstances, be proper channels for public programs."

The new guidelines warned local congregations: "Your goals and those of the public program should be in sync, and you should be able to produce the results for which you may be given funding.... You should always carefully investigate all the `strings' attached to any grant or contract." The Methodist agencies advised local churches to hire qualified lawyers and accountants to guide them through the process and to respect "church-state boundaries, which are not always clearly defined."