I could pick one or two things that happened since Inauguration Day and discuss, but there are so many that this is just going to be a list. A very troubling list.
- On Inauguration Day President Trump repealed numerous Biden executive orders (EOs) including EO 14015 which had repealed Trump’s first term EO on “religious freedom.” This means Trump’s first term EO, EO 13831, is back in place, removing religious freedom safeguards for people of all faiths and no faith who use government-funded services, and for government partnerships with faith-based social service providers who can now discriminate again.
- Unqualified Christian nationalist Pete Hegseth was confirmed to be Secretary of Defense in a 51-50 vote decided by Vice President Vance. Thanks to everyone who used our Action Alert to make that vote so close.
- Self-described Christian nationalist Russell Vought’s nomination was voted out of the Senate Budget Committee in his quest to become the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. OMB has influence over the budgets of every federal agency. It produced the order that froze every federal grant this week, which totals something like one billion dollars. Vought helped write Project 2025. We sent Senate officials a letter opposing him.
- Vance and immigration officials are in a spat with Catholic groups and other faith-based organizations that provide assistance to immigrants. Their long-time efforts to follow the many Biblical teachings about helping immigrants, “aliens,” “strangers,” and “travelers” don’t seem to matter to otherwise-Christian Trump officials in this case. Religious freedom can be tricky sometimes.
- Robert Kennedy’s nomination to be Secretary of Health and Human Services is moving through the two Senate committees that have jurisdiction. His ignore-the-science approach on vaccines is antithetical to SCA’s support for evidence-based public policy so we are sending a letter next week. It says, “In conclusion, we ask that you oppose this absurd nomination so that someone with more experience and more credibility can be nominated and confirmed. In short, we ask you to first do no harm.”
- We’re helping coalition member the Freedom From Religion Foundation convince members of Congress not to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in the Capitol on February 6.
- Another executive order this week tells all federal agencies that have anything to do with education to do whatever they can to encourage/enable school vouchers which will end up supporting religious schools with federal money. For example, the Pentagon runs schools on military bases. Secretary Hegseth will be happy to find ways to let some of those students attend private schools.
This approach is called “flooding the zone;” do so many controversial things at once that opponents can’t focus on any one of them. The three most controversial nominations, Kennedy, Kash Patel for FBI, and Tulsi Gabbard for Intelligence, had their confirmation hearings on the same morning this week. That’s not a coincidence. Secular Coalition members here have been meeting with Senate allies to help build opposition to the worst nominees.
Oh, and the Supreme Court decided to take up a case that will decide if an Oklahoma charter school can be a religious (Catholic) school. More on that later.
What can you do? Use our Action Alerts, for one. Call your representatives (202-224-3121). And come to our Lobby Day on March 11! We’re waiting a little longer to decide what is the most important bill to support or oppose but we would really appreciate your help. Nothing gets the attention of a member of Congress more than constituents who come in person to advocate on an issue or bill. Please register here.
