U.S. Department of Labor restores protections against religious discrimination

On Feb. 28, the United States Department of Labor announced the rescission of a discriminatory Trump-era policy concerning religious freedom protections in federal contracting. BJC opposed the policy during the Trump administration and called on the Biden administration to rescind it.

“No one should be denied a federally funded job for being the wrong religion,” said Holly Hollman, general counsel of BJC. “The Biden administration is right to restore protections against religious discrimination for Americans who work for federal contractors.”

BJC says the action by the Department of Labor restores a workable standard. It will permit religious contractors to compete for federal contracts while protecting

American workers from religious discrimination in their jobs.

“Returning to the rules as they existed under both President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama ensures that safeguards against discrimination intended to protect workers are not redefined into a broad exemption for for-profit businesses to reject qualified employees under the guise of religion,” Hollman said.

“Rooted in the historic Baptist principle of religious freedom, BJC applauds the Biden administration for restoring important protections against discrimination for the one in five American workers employed by federal contractors.”

—BJC staff reports