The Labor Department Proposes New Rule to Bar Discrimination Against Religious Employers in Federal Contracting

The Trump administration is still doing its part to protect Christians who work at organizations that receive federal funding.

For example, the administration issued a rule to protect health care workers in facilities receiving federal dollars who don’t want to kill unborn babies, perform “transition” surgery, or help patients kill themselves.

The administration also redirected family planning funds from facilities that kill unborn babies to facilities that don’t.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently proposed a rule to protect religious organizations with federal government contracts.

In keeping with that rich history, the proposed rule would clarify that religious organizations may make employment decisions consistent with their sincerely held religious tenets and beliefs without fear of sanction by the federal government. The proposal also reaffirms employers’ obligations not to discriminate on the basis of race, sex, or other protected bases and does not exempt or excuse a contractor from complying with any other requirements.
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Consistent with the President’s policy to enforce the robust protections for religious freedom found in federal law, the proposed rule states that it should be construed to provide the broadest protection of religious exercise recognized by the Constitution and other laws, such as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. (emphasis added)

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of protecting the religious freedom of Christian business owners, including retailer Hobby Lobby. The court ruled 5-4 in 2014 that the Obamacare contraceptive mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The government can’t force closely held corporations like Hobby Lobby to offer employees coverage for contraception.