The new rule to let businesses with federal contracts cite religious objections as a valid reason to discriminate against their workers on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, LGBT status, and other characteristics — thereby skirting worker protections created by past presidents.
Bloomberg Law reports:
The proposal would cement current exemptions that “religion-exercising organizations” can use to shield themselves from bias claims for hiring decisions and other actions motivated by religious belief. That includes religious entities as well as “closely held” companies acting in accordance with an owner’s religious beliefs, two senior DOL officials said.
The proposed rule has been pending review by the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs since April, after it was published in the Labor Department’s regulatory agenda in October 2018. The proposal will be open for public comments until Sept. 16.
BREAKING: The Department of Labor just proposed a rule that aims to let government contractors fire workers who are LGBTQ, or who are pregnant and unmarried, based on the employers’ religious views.
— ACLU (@ACLU) August 14, 2019
This is taxpayer-funded discrimination in the name of religion. Period.