The church-state issues separating the House bill from the Senate version couldn't be more sticky, which is undoubtedly why Bush has yet to clarify his position on them. Current federal law keeps tax dollars from funding religious activities, so that charities run by religious organizations keep proselytizing apart from charitable acts. Additionally, the House bill would exempt these religious groups from some federal nondiscrimination laws. One of the sticking points in the House bill briefly reared its head two Wednesdays ago at a House government reform subcommittee hearing on faith-based initiatives. That brought some heat upon the proceedings.
Charitable choice is just one of the lingering questions in the faith-based debate.
And most important, how to actually pass a bill into law. But in the face of a growing need for the president to address these questions, the White House has remained silent, and DiIulio has expressed concern that Bush's refusal to spell out his precise stance may jeopardize the entire project. He is said to blame this not on the president but on senior White House advisors, whom he believes are making a tactical mistake if they want to see an actual law passed. One of those questions sure to be debated is whether faith-based groups can receive federal funding for activities that include proselytizing. In Texas, Bush had no problem pushing for state funding for Teen Challenge and other similar groups, but he isn't in Texas anymore.