House Armed Services Committee okays
amendment to protect religious liberty

WASHINGTON — The House Armed Services Committee has passed an amendment offered by Rep. Steve Russell, R-Okla., intended to allow faith-based contractors to provide services to the military without giving up their religious identity. The amendment now goes to the full House for consideration.

“Vendors should be allowed to continue to serve our men and women in uniform without having to give up their religious identity,” said Chaplain (COL) Ron Crews, USA Retired, executive director of Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. “Several organizations that have provided significant services to the military have been told that they no longer qualify as vendors because of the president’s executive order concerning sexual orientation and gender identity. These vendors will serve without discriminating against anyone, so they shouldn’t be discriminated against by the government.”

Services provided by religious organizations that have contracted with the government include caring for refugees, chaplaincy assistance for the military, housing and care for homeless veterans, drug prevention programs for youth, comprehensive medical assistance, substance abuse rehabilitation, ministries to prison inmates, and support for service members and their families.

The Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty is an organization of chaplain endorsers, the faith groups that provide chaplains for the U.S. military and other agencies needing chaplains. The endorsers in the Chaplain Alliance speak for more than 2,600 chaplains serving the armed forces.