Chaffetz and House leaders stalling religious liberty legislation

There is nothing Democrats can do in the realm of sexual identity fascism – no matter how tyrannical, destructive and divorced from our founding values – that will elicit a united and appropriate response from Republicans. The scary thing is Democrats know it. 

It’s been over a year since the Obergefell decision, wherein the judiciary elevated homosexuality to a national religion, redefined the building block of all civilization, bastardized fundamental rights, eradicated federalism and altered the relationship between the civil society and government. In the year following the judicial proclamation, an individual was thrown in jail for following Kentucky law and merely abstaining from signing a document. Scores of Christian business owners have been fined for not servicing homosexual ceremonies with their own private property. Yet, one year after the judicial coup d'etat, not a single committee in either of the GOP-controlled bodies of the [stronger] legislative branch of government has marked up a single piece of legislation responding to this most deleterious edict or protecting religious liberty and private property rights. Moreover, the GOP recalcitrance in fighting back against the sexual identity religion has allowed the extreme Left to codify transgenderism – the most profound contortion of natural law – into our laws and body politic within a year without even firing a shot. 

Exhibit A for why the sexual identity movement is so emboldened to pursue their fascistic disruption of the civil society and private property is Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah (B, 80%). 

One of the first responses to the growing trend of anti-religious bigotry was the First Amendment Defense Act(FADA), introduced by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah (A, 100%)and Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho (A, 95%) last June. To stem the tide of criminalizing all the world’s major religions, including our founding Judeo-Christian values, this legislation would have prevented the federal government from discriminating against government contractors who don’t follow the culture warriors of the Left on questions related to same-sex marriage or other items on the sexual identity menu. It would also protect the tax exempt status of those institutions that don’t subscribe to Hollywood’s sense of morality. It was really very limited in scope and didn’t even address the broader issues of states and judges coercing individuals to service gay weddings or provide contraception coverage or transgender bathrooms. Nor did it address the actual jurisdiction of the judiciary over marriage, something Congress can easily remedy, as I detail in Stolen Sovereignty. But it was at least something.      

The bill has 171 co-sponsors, including almost every Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the panel with jurisdiction over this particular issue. Yet, Rep. Chaffetz, the committee chairman, at the behest of House leadership has refused to schedule a markup for the bill in committee. After much pressure from outside conservative groups, Chaffetz will finally hold a hearing on Tuesday, but from what I’m hearing there is no intention to schedule a markup, much less a floor vote. The committee hearing will offer the Democrat minority a number of their own witnesses, beyond the customary single minority witness. Aside from Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La. (D, 66%), not a single other member of the leadership team has signed onto the bill. That is not a coincidence. 

Keep in mind how swiftly Republican leaders bring politically correct legislation to the floor without any committee process or any member co-sponsors when it suits their needs. They brought this ridiculous Muslim Brotherhood/gun control bill to the floor out of thin air until it was opposed by rank-and-file members.  Remember how quickly the Puerto Rico bailout was shepherded through committee? And at the same time Chaffetz is holding a show hearing on FADA after a full year of doing nothing, he will conduct a markup of the upcoming postal bailout bill. This bill is so fresh it doesn’t even have a bill number yet! 

The message to Democrats is clear: in pursuit of liberal priorities Republicans will act with alacrity, but when it comes to blocking the Left’s agenda, particularly anything with a whiff of pushback against the sexual identity movement, they will run for the hills. It is a well-known reality on Capitol Hill among staffers in both parties that Republicans will not touch anything that combats homo-fascism or the transgender agenda. Last year, I reported that the municipal D.C. government passed two anti-religious liberty bills and Congress had the power to nullify them and get around the filibuster. House Republicans begrudgingly conducted a vote on the one pertaining to the contraception mandate, but refused to even consider the resolution dealing with the sexual identity law. Earlier this year, when Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala. (A, 100%) proposed an amendment to defund the D.C. laws in the relevant appropriation bill, leadership blocked the one dealing with sexual identity.

The entire purpose of a congress at the federal level was not to take power away from the people and states, but to better protect the inalienable rights of the people where the lack of a federal union failed. If Congress remains silent in the face of the assault on property and conscience rights – the antecedent to our founding – what is the purpose of their existence? It’s high time for the people’s representatives to return the sovereignty to the people.

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