UPDATE: This morning, the Senate Finance Committee – on a tie vote – approved the nomination of Xavier Becerra to President Biden’s Cabinet – sending his nomination to the full Senate for a vote that could happen early next week.
When it comes to issues related to life and religious freedom, there is no more important Cabinet position than the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Unfortunately, Xavier Becerra, Biden’s nominee for this critical position, continues to turn heads in all the wrong ways.
We told you last month about Becerra’s stunning hostility to pro-life policies and groups – including suing Catholic nuns to impose pro-abortion policies.
But the jaw-dropping positions from Becerra just keep on coming. As our friends at California Family Council have revealed, Becerra holds that freedom of religion does not apply to churches and other religious organizations!
In his confirmation hearing for California Attorney General on January 10, 2017, he was asked about a California bill that would have forced religious universities to change their moral behavior codes and housing policies.
Becerra responded that there is no First Amendment protection for religious institutions, which would include not only religious schools but also churches:
“On religious protections, the protection for religion is for the individual. I think it is important to distinguish between protections that you are affording to the individual to exercise his or her religion freely, versus protections you are giving to some institution or entity who is essentially bootstrapping the First Amendment protections on behalf of somebody else.”
This extreme view regarding religious freedom is yet another reason that his nomination should be defeated in the U.S. Senate!
TAKE ACTION: If you agree that Xavier Becerra is the wrong choice to lead HHS, please make your voice heard to your two U.S. senators, who could vote on his nomination in just days! It only takes a minute on our Action Center.
Then please do one more thing: Spread the word. Every American who cares about protecting life and religious freedom needs to know and needs to speak up.
For Life and Religious Freedom,
John Paulton
Mobilization Manager