Friday, November 23, 2018

Billy Long: President Trump working to protect religious freedom

(From Seventh District Congressman Billy Long)

As we kick off the holiday season, it’s easy to take for granted the many things we are thankful for in a country as great as ours. One that is often overlooked is religious freedom. President Trump’s administration has implemented many policies to defend this freedom and protect religious institutions from being forced to do things against their moral code. However, that hasn’t always been the case.

In 2011, the Obama administration’s Department of Health and Human Services mandated that all employers must provide contraceptive services through their insurance plans. Organizations such as Little Sisters of the Poor, a religious non-profit, were outraged at the Obama administration’s disregard for religious values and asked for an exemption from the mandate. Fearing excessive fines that would come along with not complying, Little Sisters of the Poor asked the courts for protection. In 2016, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Little Sisters of the Poor, allowing religious institutions to follow their moral code when offering health care services.

More recently, President Trump issued a formal rule protecting organizations with deeply held moral or religious objections to the Obama-era contraceptive mandate. This rule finally allowed organizations like Little Sisters of the Poor the protections they are guaranteed under the First Amendment.



Instead of mandating rules and regulations that harm religious freedom, President Trump has spent his time working to enhance religious freedom and protect religious institutions. Seeing a double standard in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, President Trump reversed an Obama-era rule that denied houses of worship disaster aid that they rightly deserved. Unlike non-religious organizations, churches were not allowed to apply for disaster grants, even though they spent just as much time and money helping those affected by the hurricane.

While defending religious freedom in the U.S. has been a top priority for President Trump, he has also worked hard to protect it abroad. In January of this year, President Trump placed Pakistan on a “Special Watch List” for its violations of religious freedom while also placing 10 other countries on a list of particular concern. These lists were created under the International Religious Freedom Act and serve as a tool to hold countries accountable for their religious intolerances.

Our country was founded on the principle of religious freedom. President Trump has worked tirelessly to ensure that our country continues to be a place where all can come and worship. America must always strive to protect those who wish to exercise their First Amendment right to religious expression.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Billy Long is behind the Gropinfuror like a hitch ball on an F350!

karen said...

#45 has no interest in religion. He is a thrice married immoral proven adulterer. He embraced the causes of fundamental religiosity to aid in his election to the presidency. He only worships money and power, the exact opposite of what religion teaches. Fifty percent of the population is female. Contraception and reproductive medical care are health issues, not religious issues. They should remain between a woman and her health care provider, that is why they should be covered by insurance companies, not decided by ministers or religious leaders.

Anonymous said...

The vice president is the real religious wanker!

Dolt 45 just acts like he cares!

The deplorables are easily fooled, is Billy Long fooled or just posing as another lying politician for votes?

Harvey Hutchinson said...

Excellent!, Congressman Long!!
And Karen: you seem judgemental of President Trump without solid evidence

Harvey Hutchinson 303-522-6622 voice and tect

Anonymous said...

Herbvey wouldn't probably recognize solid evidence if it was stopping his toilet to the point he'd need to call a plumber out on a holiday!

Anonymous said...

Harvey, don't know if you are blind or just ignore the facts, but Karen has plenty of "solid evidence" regarding Trump: it's a fact that he has been married three times; he has admitted to numerous adulterous affairs; and since he doesn't attend church, the only obvious conclusion is that he uses religion for political purposes, not because he believes it. It seems more likely that he worships the golf course.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone ever get the feeling that talking to Harvey and other republican followers is like talking to a really old, crumbling brick wall. It seems that the righteous people of Missouri refuse to stop drinking the Kool-Aid of the party and believe in facts and truth. I admit that some of the democrats are not as pure as we would like, but the politics of today is one of catering to the bad actors in order to help as many of those in need as possible. It is sad what our country has become and what it is headed for in the future. It is all downhill and there is no flat area in sight.

Harvey Hutchinson said...

At least the old evildoer McCaskill is out.
For the record Donald Trump was raised in the Manhattan Presbyterian Church with Robert Vincent Peale as his pastor. His wife is a devout Roman Catholic. They regularly attend thr Rpiscopal Church in West Palm Beach— Bethany by the Sea, they were married there .
So Karen needs to get her facts straight!

Harvey Hutchinson 302-522-6622 voice&text

Anonymous said...

Geez... says someone following the party that wanted Hilary Clinton as president... no credibility what so ever if you supported that trainwreck.

Anonymous said...

Harve, you'd better recheck your facts (I realize Republicans aren't usually concerned with facts) because Trump does not regularly attend church. He surfaces for major religious events (Easter, Christmas) and weddings, but that is about it. And if Melania is a devout Catholic, why is she attending an Episcopal church? And you didn't seem to question Karen's facts about number of marriages and adultery.

Anonymous said...

Well, I went back and checked my log that I keep of Trump's church attendance and it looks like he makes it to church 53.6% of the time. This includes special services.

Harvey Hutchinson said...

What is your %age?
What is Karen’s %age?

BTW: Let him without sin, cast the first stone.

Harvey Hutchinson 303-522-6622 voice and trxt