Washington, DC—Yesterday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that it would change its longstanding policies to allow taxpayer-funded grants to rebuild churches and other houses of worship damaged in natural disasters. This policy change would allow, for the first time, federal funds earmarked for disaster relief to be used…...
American Atheists Applauds Removal of Johnson Amendment Repeal From GOP Tax Bill
Washington, DC—In a statement late Thursday, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) announced that the final version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (HR 1) will not include a provision that would have permitted churches to engage in electoral politics, after it was blocked by the Senate parliamentarian. The version of…...
Atheists File Suit Against NJ County After Government Money Used to Promote Religious Ceremonies
Cranford, NJ—American Atheists filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey today alleging that the Bergen County Animal Shelter repeatedly devoted government resources to the promotion and performance of religious ceremonies in a county facility, despite warnings from American Atheists against the practice....
Amended GOP Tax Bill Still Destroys Johnson Amendment
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 File Federal Lawsuit After Student Disciplined, Harassed for Sitting Out Pledge
Houston, TX—American Atheists filed a federal lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, alleging that a high school senior has been subjected to years of harassment by teachers, administrators, and other students because she opted to not participate in the Pledge of Allegiance. The…...