The FFRF Action Fund strongly opposes the latest version of the GOP reconciliation bill, which advances Project 2025’s Christian nationalist goals.
“The GOP reconciliation bill continues to funnel public money into religious education, slashes access to reproductive health care and kneecaps the judiciary,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, president of the FFRF Action Fund.
A federal voucher program by any name
At the heart of the legislation is the Educational Choice for Children Act [Section 70411], a $4 billion-per-year federal tax credit and tax shelter that incentivizes donations to so-called Scholarship Granting Organizations — many of which exist to engage in religious indoctrination. In effect, the GOP bill creates a national voucher pipeline that rewards billionaires for undermining public education while starving public schools of critical resources.
Defunding Planned Parenthood, endangering health care
The bill also includes a provision to eliminate Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood [Section 71118], directly threatening preventive health services, STI screenings, cancer detection, and contraceptive access for millions. Although no federal dollars pay for abortion care, the legislation would deny Medicaid reimbursement for other services to any organizations that provide abortion care, thereby ensuring nearly 200 Planned Parenthood clinics would be shuttered. “Let’s be clear — this is a backdoor abortion ban rooted in religious ideology, not fiscal responsibility,” adds Gaylor.
No homeschool 529 expansion — for now
Unlike the House version, the Senate finance bill does not include the expansion of 529 accounts for homeschooling costs — a proposal previously pushed by religious right lobbying groups to subsidize unregulated religious education. While this omission is a temporary win for evidence-based learning, vigilance is still required in future reconciliation drafts.
Judicial bonding: a legal booby trap
Buried in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s text is a deeply troubling provision [Section 203] that imposes strict judicial bonding requirements for temporary injunctions against the federal government. This could make it prohibitively expensive for civil rights litigants to challenge unconstitutional government actions — precisely the kind of chilling effect Project 2025’s architects seek.
“The GOP reconciliation bill is about codifying a theocratic vision for America — one voucher, one restriction, one bond at a time,” says Gaylor. “The FFRF Action Fund will continue to expose and fight these creeping attacks on the constitutional wall of separation between state and church.”
In the coming weeks, the Senate Finance and Judiciary Committees are expected to mark up and begin voting on their respective pieces of legislation. From there, the bills will move to the Senate floor, where they only need 51 votes to pass. The bills from each respective chamber will go to a conference committee where the differences between the two bills will be worked out. Then the final bills will be voted on and sent on to the president for his signature. This legislation is far from a done deal — and it can be stopped with your help. Call your senators and participate in our joint phone banks with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin.
The FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations, and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.
Photo by Chad Stembridge on Unsplash