Two On Obama's Economic Team Have Worked On Religious Liberty Issues

Ahead of his news conference yesterday, President-elect Barack Obama announced his choice for five key economic posts in the federal government. (Wall Street Journal). In a release yesterday, the Orthodox Jewish Union reports that two of these appointees also have made significant contributions in the field of religious liberty. Melody Barnes, picked as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, served on the staff of Senator Ted Kennedy from 1995-2003. There she worked on important religious freedom initiatives, including the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Heather Higginbottom, chosen as deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, served as Senator John Kerry’s Legislative Director from 1999 to 2007. In that position she sought to obtain support in Congress for the Workplace Religious Freedom Act.