Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and nine other Republican senators sent off a letter to President Trump, calling on him to push for states to reopen their churches and to withhold coronavirus relief funds for states that refuse, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
“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,” Lee wrote in the letter.
The letter goes on to complain that some states are putting restrictions on church activities even of they follow social distancing guidelines while allowing other various types of businesses to reopen under the same circumstances.
“There is no ‘pandemic’ exception to constitutionally protected rights,” such as religious freedom, the letter states.
The group of 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.”
Read the letter in its entirety here.
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