Today, the Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing to consider the nomination of John M. McHugh as Secretary of the Army. McHugh is currently a Republican member of the House of Representatives from New York, and was previously the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. He was nominated in June by the President. In a press release earlier this week, Americans United questioned McHugh's views on church-state matters. In a letter to the Committee (full text), AU urged that the hearings "ascertain the nominee's views on the pervasive problem or religious coercion and proselytizing in the U.S. military." The letter says that McHugh's voting record in the House on these issues is troubling.
UPDATE: Blog from the Capital reports that at his confirmation hearing, the only question directed to McHugh about religion in the military was one by Senator Jack Reed who asked about religious freedom for soldiers. McHugh responded by saying that military chaplains "must be sensitive" to the diversity of troops and must avoid proselytization except in church services conducted on personal time.
