Outrageously, more than $7.3 billion in forgivable loans went to places of worship through the Paycheck Protection Program!
As early as August, banks will begin forgiving these loans, turning them into grants — free money for religious worship.
Congress has one last chance to correct this gross constitutional violation — in the new coronavirus relief bill, lawmakers must stipulate that any loan funds used for a religious purpose cannot be forgiven and must be paid back.
Under the Paycheck Protection Program, the Small Business Administration has allowed places of worship and religious organization to receive loan funding that can be used for clergy salary and other religious activities. However, Congress can fix the agency’s unconstitutional giveaway by ensuring that loan funding used for religious activities is not forgivable.
This is the last chance, as lenders are expected to start offering loan forgiveness as early as next month.
SBA has reported that at least 88,411 religious organizations received at least $7.3 billion in loans through PPP. The only way to ensure that Americans are not forced to subsidize religion is to prevent the portion of these funds used for religious activities from being forgiven.
