In an e-mail to supporters yesterday, former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) wrote, “The dust is settling on the ‘bipartisan’ stimulus bill and one thing is clear: It is anti-religious.” To support his claim, Huckabee “pointed to a provision in both the House and Senate versions banning higher education funds in the bill from being used on a ‘school or department of divinity.’” But as Steve Benen explains, “Huckabee is bearing false witness“:
[T]his myth has been making the rounds in right-wing circles for about a week. Originally, the American Center for Law and Justice, a right-wing legal group formed by TV preacher Pat Robertson, said the stimulus bill includes a provision that would prohibit “religious groups and organizations from using” buildings on college campuses. [...]
[T]he standard language in the bill simply blocks spending for on-campus buildings that are used primarily for religion (like a chapel, for example). This same language has been part of education spending bills for 46 years. It’s just the law, and it’s never been controversial.
Previous in TP Politics
By clicking and submitting a comment I acknowledge the ThinkProgress Privacy Policy and agree to the ThinkProgress Terms of Use. I understand that my comments are also being governed by Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, or Hotmail’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policies as applicable, which can be found here.