On the second anniversary of its Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the Biden-administration White House released a fact sheet lauding the “essential part” of the administration, whose mission is “to serve people in need by collaborating with interested faith-based and community organizations.”
Among the office’s achievements when it came to religious freedom were hosting the first-ever White House United We Stand Summit countering “hate-motivated violence, including attacks on houses of worship” (September 2022); the Dec. 12, 2022 creation of a committee “to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia and related forms of discrimination and bias in our country”; and a Protecting Places of Worship committee.
The administration also re-established the Faith-Based Security Advisory Council.
In the 2022 fiscal year, the Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program saw a 39% increase, from $180 million to $250 million. That program supports security for nonprofits, including religious organizations and houses of worship. (The president has called for $360 million for the program in the 2023 budget.)
Across the aisle, Republicans accuse the administration of infringing on religious liberty.
