A group of 15 Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Daniel Webster, both of Florida, demand that the IRS reverse a decision to deny tax-exempt status to a Christian group in Texas, and fire the person responsible for the decision.
In a recent letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, the group called for Rettig to personally review the case of Christians Engaged.
Christians Engaged says it is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is “to awaken, motivate, educate, and empower ordinary believers in Jesus Christ, to pray for our nation and elected officials regularly, vote in every election to impact our culture, and engage our hearts in some form of political education or activism for the furtherance of our nation.”
It does so, according to the lawmakers’ letter, by weekly prayer time, voter registration drives and other efforts.
Yet on May 18, Stephen Martin, the director of exempt organizations at the IRS, rejected the group’s request for tax-exempt status.
In a letter to Christians Engaged, Martin wrote that the group’s promotion of biblical teachings translate to partaking in “prohibited political campaign intervention.”
“Specifically, you educate Christians on what the Bible says in areas where they can be instrumental including the areas of the sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, biblical justice, freedom of speech, defense, and borders and immigration, U.S. and Israel relations,” Martin wrote.
“The Bible teachings are typically affiliated with the Republican Party and candidates. This disqualifies you from exemption under IRC Section 501(c)(3).”
Martin added, “You operate for a substantial non-exempt private purpose and for the private interests of the Republican Party.”
No word on how Martin treats churches and ministers that stump for Joe Biden and Democrats.
Regardless, the GOP lawmakers were not happy.
The issues Martin objected to “have always been at the core of Christian belief and classifying them as inherently political is patently absurd,” they wrote.
“If the IRS applied this interpretation broadly, it would jeopardize the tax-exempt status of thousands of Christian churches across the country.”
“Millions of Americans draw deeply from their religious beliefs to inform how they vote and many religious organizations conduct get out the vote efforts,” the lawmakers added. “In fact, President Biden himself campaigned alongside church leaders during the 2020 presidential race.”
“The IRS must objectively analyze applications for tax-exempt status and cannot allow political biases to creep into its decisions,” the GOP legislators added to Rettig.
“We urge you to personally review this determination, and remove the individual, or individuals, responsible for the blatantly biased, discriminatory, and flawed reasoning that led to the determination.”
Besides Rubio and Webster, the signers include Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas, and Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Jeff Duncan, South Carolina, Doug Lamborn of Colorado, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Burgess Owens of Utah, Yvette Herrell of New Mexico, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Bob Good (Virginia, and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.
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I don’t care, do you?
Yet you do, since you made the effort to comment. Typical.
All republicans are traitors.
It’s true. Republicans are traitors. They are the real enemy of the US. They must be removed.
Republicans are not the problem the communist dictator democrats are