The preservation of the protections offered by the Johnson Amendment is being threatened in the House of Representatives. The Johnson Amendment prohibits nonprofits and religious organizations from engaging in partisan politics or financially supporting candidates for office. This amendment preserves the non-partisanship of nonprofit organizations.

A rider attached to the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) appropriations bill would enable politicians, their operatives, and donors to pressure hundreds of thousands of nonprofits into endorsing and diverting charitable assets to candidates for public office. In response, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) introduced an amendment to strip the bill of this rider during the House Appropriation Committee markup of the bill. However, Wasserman-Schultz’s amendment was voted down along party lines, with all Republicans voting against it.  

The Senate has yet to introduce a similar measure, but Vice President Mike Pence continues to vocally support stopping the enforcement of the Johnson Amendment. The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities is in support of preserving the Johnson Amendment and the enforcement of the Johnson Amendment.

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