News From The Week Of July 27 – July 31, 2020

Friend,

This week, the Trump administration and its allies had nowhere to hide. Their blatant attempts to exploit the coronavirus pandemic to erode religious freedom and fund religious schools were all too apparent.

A new analysis by Americans United of the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) reveals that as much as $6.47 billion of federal funds were given to private schools since the pandemic began. And as much as $4.08 billion of this money is directly funding private religious schools, including many schools that discriminate against students, families and teachers in a variety of ways. I know I don’t have to tell you that this is bad policy and it undermines church-state separation.

We are already using these revelations to advocate in Congress for tougher restrictions on upcoming coronavirus relief funds, and we will continue to fight against any use of tax dollars to fund religion. I want to take a moment to thank our incredible Public Policy team and team of summer interns, who worked tirelessly to uncover the scope of private school funding in the available PPP data. You can read the full report here: [link removed]

In the face of these unprecedented challenges, all of us who support the separation of religion and government need to get active and involved however we can. You can take your commitment to the next level by joining us on September 14th and 15th at AU’s Virtual National Advocacy Summit. Please invite your friends and family to join the Summit too; you don’t have to be a member, and it’s a great opportunity to get to know Americans United and our cause.

From the safety and comfort of your own home, the Virtual National Advocacy Summit will offer you an array of live online plenaries from exciting leaders and experts in church-state separation, on-demand video workshops, and even a chance to sing along with a special musical guest! The second day of the Summit will be a National Day of Action featuring virtual lobby visits with members of Congress. This unique opportunity to talk about why church-state separation matters to you and to the country, is limited to 150 people, so don’t wait – if you want to participate, click here to register while space is available: [link removed]

I hope you feel as inspired to take action and defend religious freedom as I do, friend. Our freedoms are only ever as strong as our willingness to defend them.

With hope and determination,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO

AU’s New Report Details How Billions In Pandemic Relief Was Diverted To Private Schools:
PPP money was supposed to help small businesses and nonprofits that might have experienced difficulty meeting payroll. Yet millions of tax dollars ended up in the coffers of wealthy private institutions.
READ MORE » [link removed]

Trump Adviser Unleashes Error-Filled Attack On Separation Of Church And State:
The reason the term "separation of church and state" came into existence is because it’s a convenient way of explaining the two religious freedom provisions in the First Amendment of the Constitution.
READ MORE » [link removed]

The Proof Is In The Ballot Box: Voters Don’t Like Private School Vouchers:
Since the 1960s, AU has tracked state ballot initiatives all over the country that planned to use taxpayer money to fund private schools. Every time, voters rejected private school voucher schemes.
READ MORE » [link removed]

Supreme Court Wisely Refuses To Intervene In Nevada Church’s Challenge To State Public-Health Order:
The Supreme Court acted properly in refusing to intervene. The constitutional right to worship freely is precious. But religious freedom should never be used as a justification for imposing harm on people.
READ MORE » [link removed]

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Americans United for Separation of Church and State
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