WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has revised its policies to allow houses of worship to apply for some federal aid to help deal with damage from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
FEMA announced Tuesday houses of worship no longer would be excluded from eligibility for FEMA aid.
The agency says the changes affect private nonprofit organizations that sustained damage from a major disaster on or after Aug. 23 or that had unresolved applications pending before the agency as of that date. The assistance is limited to costs not covered by a U.S. Small Business Administration loan.
Three Texas churches severely damaged by Hurricane Harvey last year sued FEMA over the policy, accusing the agency of religious discrimination.
Wonder if Joe Osteen will apply for help? His millions probably won’t pay for all the mops and buckets he had to purchase to clean up the mess created by the Harvey victims he sheltered in his chapel.
Wait a minute … he kept the doors locked! SWEET JESUS!
How will they respond when the Satanists come calling?
I have no problem with this. Churches are often the center of aid to a community in crisis, and leaving them off seems ridiculous.
That said, I hate the idea of giving them a tax exemption then allowing them to engage in politics. If you want to be a church and a political organization, the gov’t shouldn’t subsidize the political part. Start a PAC.
If churches do serve their communities, many pick and chose whom they find most deserving of their help, and often it comes with strings (“can I share Jesus with you?”). They already enjoy supreme privilege under the tax code. Maybe aid should be tied to churches that need it most, rather than megachurches that can take care of themselves.
Bullshit! No taxes, no taxpayer funded aid.