The Biden administration is revoking Trump-era waivers from federal nondiscrimination law granted to faith-based foster care providers in three states, drawing pushback from Christian conservatives and praise from progressives.
In a statement, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would rescind waivers granted to faith-based child welfare agencies in Michigan, South Carolina and Texas that contract with the federal government.
The waivers exempted those organizations from nondiscrimination requirements imposed on recipients of federal grants mandating that “no person otherwise eligible will be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination in the administration of HHS programs and services.”
In a statement, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission called the HHS move “deeply troubling for faith-based organizations and people who serve communities in their states according to their religious beliefs.”
ERLC Acting President Brent Leatherwood said the HHS’ actions also “reveal an animus toward people of faith.”
The HHS announcement comes five months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the city of Philadelphia could not exclude a Christian foster care agency from its foster care program because it refused to place children with same-sex couples.