Name: Utah Sen. Mike Lee asks Trump to prod states to reopen churches or face loss of COVID-19 aid
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Utah Sen. Mike Lee asks Trump to prod states to reopen churches or face loss of COVID-19 aid

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(Rick Bowmer | AP file photo )President Donald Trump stand with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, at the Utah State Capitol on Dec. 4, 2017, as Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to announce plans to shrink two sprawling national monuments in Utah.Sen. Mike Lee is leading a call for President Donald Trump to push states and local governments to allow churches to reopen, or face restrictions on any forthcoming COVID-19 relief funding.“Such executive action would send the nation and government leaders a clear and unequivocal message that religious liberty matters, and that no state or locality can unilaterally strip away protected constitutional rights,” .The letter complains that some governments are not allowing churches to meet or to restrict practices or gathering sizes — even if they use masks and social distancing — while many businesses are allowed to open in similar circumstances.For example, , while making no similar ban on chanting by protesters.The . The court ruled 5-4 that the state imposed similar restrictions for comparable secular gatherings such as concerts and movies, but some justices said churches were not being treated equally to a number of businesses.Lee’s letter to Trump argued, “There is no ‘pandemic’ exception to constitutionally protected rights,” such as religious freedom.He and the other senators urged Trump to “support proposals in Congress to place restrictions on any forthcoming COVID-19 relief funding to states and localities that prevent church, houses of worship and religious schools and institutions from reopening.”.The letter also urges Trump to “consider taking additional measures within your authority” to ensure that churches may reopen as they follow appropriate guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The letter notes that Trump in May called on mayors to allow churches to open immediately. “However, this call for action appears to have fallen on deaf ears in many of our cities and states,” it says.The letter was also signed by Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind.; Josh Hawley, R-Mo.; Steve Daines, R-Mont.; Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga.; Thom Tillis, R-N.C.; Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; James Lankford, R-Okla.; and Tom Cotton, R-Ark.Lee for years has also which he says aims to protect religious freedom but critics argue could lead to discrimination against the LGBTQ community.That bill, originally introduced in 2015 and reintroduced later, seeks to protect individuals and institutions from punitive government action for believing that marriage is between one man and one woman and for opposing sex outside of marriage. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are taxdeductible

(Rick Bowmer | AP file photo )President Donald Trump stand with Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, at the Utah State Capitol on Dec. 4, 2017, as Trump traveled to Salt Lake City to announce plans to shrink two sprawling national monuments in Utah.Sen. Mike Lee is leading a call for President Donald Trump to push states and local governments to allow churches to reopen, or face restrictions on any forthcoming COVID-19 relief funding.“Such executive action would send the nation and government leaders a clear and unequivocal message that religious liberty matters, and that no state or locality can...

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Utah Sen. Mike Lee asks Trump to prod states to reopen churches or face loss of COVID-19 aid

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