February 6, 2009

NJDC Commends the Senate for Prohibiting Federal Funds to be Used for Religious Facilities

Listed in: Other Domestic Policy, Separation of Church and State, NJDC News, Press Releases

Amendment to the economic recovery bill would have violated the constitutional requirement of separation of church and state

Washington, DC – Marc R. Stanley, Chairman of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), released the following statement:

The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) commends the U.S. Senate for its sound defeat of Senator Jim DeMint’s (R-SC) amendment to the economic recovery bill that would have violated the constitutional requirement of separation of church and state. Last night’s vote was 43-54 and, with a few exceptions, strictly followed partisan lines.

The DeMint Amendment was an attempt to remove the provision in the economic recovery bill that prohibited the government from providing federal funds to construct or repair buildings used for religious purposes. The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that the establishment clause of the first amendment of the Constitution prohibits federal grants to be used for capital improvement of structures devoted to worship or religious instruction. The DeMint Amendment was an attempt to undermine established constitutional law preserving the wall that separates church and state.