John Ashcroft, and allows religious groups to solicit government subsidies in order to operate a wide range of social service outreaches. A list circulated by House Republicans mentions housing, juvenile justice programs, community development block grants, job training, child welfare and child care services, crime prevention programs, senior citizen services, domestic violence programs and hunger relief outreaches. The measure bans discrimination against any religious or religion-affiliate organization on the basis of belief in the awarding of government funding. They provide for the creation of special bank accounts for lower-income Americans which would be matched by contributions from financial institutions. The faith-based proposals and charitable tax incentives we will soon consider in Congress will garner the support of a wide array of lawmakers.
Charity is a subject that transcends party lines.
In the Senate, a narrower faith-based initiative bill is being introduced today by Sens. Both measures are part of the debate over government funding for religion-based social outreaches. President George W. Bush is promoting his new White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives which, he hopes, will direct public funds to sectarian groups operate a battery of social programs. American Atheists announced that it would launch a campaign to defeat HR 7. Already, both bills are drawing opposition from critics who say that the measures will drain money needed for direct aid to the poor, and will end up favoring some charities over others.