Coalition Seeks Information On Faith-Based Hiring By Federal Grantees

The Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD) is a group of over 50 religious, civil rights and public policy organizations that has been encouraging the Obama administration to require all recipients of federal grants and contracts to observe a strict non-discrimination policy in hiring for positions funded with federal dollars.  However, despite statements supporting non-discrimination President Obama has not rescinded Executive Order 13279 issued in 2002 by President George W. Bush permitting religious organizations that receive federal funds to use religious criteria in their hiring. (See prior posting.) Joshua DuBois, head of he White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has said that the question of whether a grantee may engage in faith-based hiring is being handled on a case-by-case basis. So yesterday, according to a press release from Americans United, CARD wrote identical letters (full text) to the Faith-Based Partnership Office in each of over a dozen federal departments and agencies seeking more information on this case-by-case approach.  The letters ask for details of the review process, the criteria applied and the facts and results in each case.