Washington, DC—Today, in a party line vote, the House Ways and Means Committee approved changes to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that would demolish more than 60 years of nonprofit neutrality by allowing all 501(c)(3) organizations, including churches, to endorse and oppose political candidates and wade into partisan politics....
Atheists Condemn Trump Administration’s ‘License to Discriminate’
Cranford, NJ—In reaction to the Department of Justice’s newly released guidelines about “protecting” religious liberty, American Atheists president David Silverman released the following statement: Jeff Sessions has shown, time and again, that he has no respect for real religious freedom and instead views religion as an excuse to ignore the…...
Atheists Outraged by Trump Administration’s Expansion of Contraception Exemptions
Cranford, NJ—In reaction to the Department of Health and Human Services’ new rules undermining contraception coverage in the Affordable Care Act, American Atheists national program director Nick Fish released the following statement: These rules allow any business, including huge corporations or even insurance providers themselves, to claim a religious or…...
Statement About Wasserman Schultz Amendment to Protect the Johnson Amendment in House Appropriations Bill Markup
Washington, DC—Today, in a 24 to 28 vote, an amendment offered by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) to protect the integrity of the Johnson Amendment failed during a House Appropriations Committee markup session. The amendment would have removed Section 116 of the bill, a rider that prohibits the IRS from…...
Atheists Tells Congress: Hands Off the Johnson Amendment
Washington, D.C.—American Atheists today joined with ten other atheist and secular groups warning the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations against attempts to undermine the so-called Johnson Amendment, an IRS rule that prohibits churches and other houses of worship, as well as 501(c)(3) charities like American Atheists, from engaging…...
Atheists Join Coalition Opposing Johnson Amendment Repeal
American Atheists today joined with a coalition of 86 religious, secular, and charitable groups opposing any changes to the Johnson Amendment, the rule prohibiting 501(c)(3) organizations from engaging in partisan electioneering and protecting both religious and charitable organizations from political meddling. The letter comes after President Donald Trump promised to…...
Atheists: Trump’s Muslim Ban Incites a ‘Religious War’ Mentality
American Atheists today announced its opposition to an Executive Order issued on Friday, January 27, by President Donald Trump that stops refugees, visa holders, and legal permanent residents from seven predominantly Muslim nations — Libya, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen — from entering the United States and giving…...