Last month, I wrote about the Trump administration’s proposed rule allowing government-funded employment discrimination. In its rush to steamroll American workers with its harmful policy, the Trump administration only gave the public 30 days to respond to this proposal before it will go into effect, and time’s almost up. The comment period for this proposed rule will permanently close tonight, September 16. If you haven’t already filed your public comment opposing the employment discrimination rule, go to our action page to submit yours right now.
We’ve already received thousands of comments from Americans United’s members and supporters, but we need to get as many more as we can before the deadline tonight!
Here’s a refresher on what this proposed rule is about: President Trump’s Department of Labor issued a rule in August that would allow government contractors – who employ a huge portion of the American workforce – to use any religious litmus test they want to discriminate in employment. Typical for the Trump administration, it is justifying its discrimination by citing “religious freedom.” In particular, this rule would do two things. First, it would grant for-profit corporations a religious exemption to escape hiring nondiscrimination laws that apply to federal contractors. Second, it would make the religious exemption so expansive that it could be used to claim a religious right to fire or refuse to hire someone because they are LGBTQ, a single mom, the “wrong” religion or they don’t go to church often enough. The result: a government-funded contractor could put a sign on their door that says “No Jews, Catholics, Sikhs or Latter-day Saints need apply.”
This is not religious freedom. Religious freedom is a fundamental American value that guarantees us all the right to believe – or not – as we see fit. But religious freedom cannot be used to justify harming or discriminating against others. And when religious organizations get government money, it’s even more important that they are not using religion to justify discrimination. When federal contractors receive taxpayer money, religious organizations should have to play by the same rules as everybody else. They should not be able to discriminate with the support of the government.
Speak out in favor of real religious freedom by filing your comment with the Trump administration before midnight tonight. We need your voice to tell the Trump administration that we won’t stand for religious freedom being used as an excuse to discriminate. Act now before it’s too late!
