President Bush said yesterday that the federal government gave more than $2.1 billion in grants to religious charities last year — a 7 percent increase from the prior year and proof, he said, that his administration has made it easier for faith-based groups to obtain taxpayer funds.

Speaking to a White House-organized conference of 1,200 charity leaders from across the country, Bush said the administration is creating “a level playing field” for religious organizations to compete with secular groups to run drug treatment programs, homeless shelters and other social services.

Government’s role is “to fund, not to micromanage how you run your programs,” he said. “I repeat to you, you can’t be a faith-based program if you don’t practice your faith.”

The speech, accompanied by a blizzard of statistics on federal grants, was partly an appeal to religious supporters and partly a response to rising criticism.

In recent months, a broad array of religious leaders, from Reform rabbis to evangelical ministers, have complained that the president’s proposed budget cuts would fall primarily on the backs of the poor by restricting food stamps, Medicaid and other social spending, while preserving long-term tax cuts.
washingtonpost.com

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