Out of fear, ignorance and occasional bigotry, faith-based groups have been prohibited from competing for federal funding on a level playing field with secular groups.
— Attorney General John Ashcroft, White House Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Conference, January 13, 2003. President Bush issued an executive order last month prohibiting federal agencies from discriminating against religious organizations in awarding grants for social work, but religious groups that become federal contractors may still discriminate in hiring on the basis of religious beliefs.
In 1996, then-U.S. Senator John Ashcroft steered through Congress so-called “charitable choice” provisions intended to allow religious groups to garner federal funding without proper civil rights and civil liberties safeguards. Ashcroft, an ally of the Religious Right, wanted faith-based providers to be able to hire and fire based on religion, even in programs supported by taxpayer dollars.
— The 'Faith-Based' Initiative, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, 2017
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