Bush Pushes Faith-Based Initiative Without New Authority

Posted on August 23, 2004
 

The absence of new legislative authority has not deterred the Bush administration from using its executive powers to widely implement its Faith-Based Initiative throughout the federal government. That is the finding of a new report by the Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy documents.Among the report's findings:

  • President Bush has aggressively advanced his Faith-Based Initiative through executive orders, rule changes, and managerial realignment in federal agencies.
  • He has overseen the creation of a high-profile special office in the White House on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which has connections in ten government agencies, each with a director and staff, to advance the efforts to win more financial support for faith-based social services.
  • These federal agencies have proposed or created a host of new regulations that mark a major change in the doctrine of separation of church and state.
  • Increased uncertainty about the full extent of federal funding about faith-based social services.