We should be immune to being shocked by the Trump administration and anything it does anymore but the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has recently revealed evidence that those in control at the White House and some notable religious figures are even more nefarious than previously thought.
We’ve already reported that thanks [1] to the GOP and the administration, churches and other religious institutions have snapped up millions of dollars from the Payment Protection Program (PPP), but the FFRF has managed to record [2] audio of two calls between religious leaders and the White House. Those calls confirm that the Trump administration actively sought to give church leaders special access to the PPP, JoeMyGod [3] reports. And it was all on the taxpayers’ dime.
The first conference call occurred on April 3, just as the PPP hit its stride and fully two weeks before the Small Business Administration (SBA) ratified its final rules on church eligibility for SBA funds.
The FFRF notes:
“This secret announcement to clergy reveals that the SBA had no intention of listening to public comments on the proposed rule, and had already decided to extend these loans to churches, in spite of the Constitution, and any public outcry. At the time of this call, SBA had only awarded about 10,000 of the 661, 218 PPP loans.”
A sizable number of far-right, anti-LGBTQ groups have benefitted from this largesse, including the Liberty Council, Jim Bakker Ministries, Paula White Ministries, and the megachurch that’s headed by rabid Trump supporter Robert Jeffress. The Catholic Church has also profited enormously, to the tune of $3.4 billion, JoeMyGod has noted. In total religious-based organizations have received as much as $7.3 billion.
All while ordinary Americans try to survive this deadly pandemic on the paltry $1200 per person that’s been handed out so far. I’m including [4] links [5] so that people can hear this for themselves.
That image of Jesus berating the money-changers in the temple is being replaced by corporate religion. Just call it Religion, Inc. As for the separation of church and state, as mandated in the First Amendment? It’s becoming more and more obvious that this is becoming a thing of the past.