{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://marymiller.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-miller-demands-answers-bidens-defense-secretary-violating-religious", "Rep. Miller Demands Answers from Biden's Defense Secretary for Violating Religious Liberty During Holy Week", "2023-04-12", "2023", "2023-04", "Republican", "House", "IL", "Mary E. Miller", "M001211", "marymiller.house.gov", "marymiller", "https://marymiller.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON - Today, Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-IL) led over two dozen Members of Congress in writing a letter to President Biden\u2019s Defense Secretary to demand answers on the attack on Christian faith administered by the Biden Administration over Easter weekend. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center sent a \"cease and desist\" letter to Catholic priests to stop providing care during Holy Week, violating the First Amendment rights of Americans.\n\n\u201cPriests and pastors guided our troops through the darkest days of our toughest battles,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThe Biden Administration chose Easter weekend to kick Catholic priests out of Walter Reed, violating their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion. I am proud to lead this letter to Biden's Defense Secretary to demand answers on this unconscionable attack on Christian service members.\"\n\nIn the letter, the Members ask Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin why the Biden Administration chose Holy Week to send a \u201ccease and desist\u201d letter forcing\n\nCatholic priests, who have provided over 20 years of service, to discontinue their pastoral care.\n\nAdditionally, the Archdiocese of the Military reported that the Biden Administration agreed to contract pastoral care to a for-profit, secular company that does not provide pastoral care. In their letter, the Members demand to know who was awarded the contract and why.\n\nThe letter sent to the Pentagon is attached, and statements from co-signers are below. Congresswoman Miller was joined by the following Members of Congress in her letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin: Jim Banks, Paul Gosar, Byron Donalds, Tom Tiffany, Scott Perry, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Andy Biggs, Warren Davidson, Matt Rosendale, Lauren Boebert, Ralph Norman, Bob Good, Keith Self, Debbie Lesko, Andrew Clyde, Josh Brecheen, Brian Babin, Ben Cline, Andy Harris, Diana Harshbarger, Michael Cloud, Eli Crane, Alex X. Mooney, and Anna Paulina Luna.\n\nCongressman Bob Good: \u201cThere is a long history of pastors and priests ministering to the troops who serve our country. Sadly, in another example of a weaponized government violating First Amendment Rights, the Biden Administration assaulted religious freedom just before Easter. Biden's attacks on religious liberty must end.\u201d\n\nCongresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene: \u201cThis attack on the Church is not just another failure. It\u2019s incredibly embarrassing and wrong. And this time it\u2019s directed at our military and the men and women who have served. The Biden administration must reinstate Catholic Pastoral Care at Walter Reed immediately!\u201d\n\nCongressman Tom Tiffany: \u201cOur service members and veterans took care of us, and it\u2019s our duty to take care of them when they return home. It\u2019s shameful that the Biden administration would terminate Catholic pastoral care services during Holy Week, and it\u2019s even more despicable that his administration continues to attack Americans\u2019 First Amendment rights.\u201d\n\nCongressman Ben Cline: \u201cIt is incomprehensible that essential pastoral care was taken away from the sick and the aged at Walter Reed during Holy Week and beyond. Worse still, is that any continued spiritual need was given to a secular defense contracting firm. Making sure the medical and spiritual needs of Veterans and military members who need medical care is essential to keeping the promise we make to care for those who have borne the battle. We must remedy this egregious attack on Christian service members and ensure this unconstitutional abuse of power never happens again to our men and women in uniform.\u201d\n\nCongressman Alex X. Mooney: \u201cI am deeply concerned that the Biden administration would attack religious liberty during Holy Week. I am pleased to join my colleagues in demanding answers so we can rectify this injustice.\u201d\n\nCongressman Warren Davidson: \u201cThis shameful action by the Biden administration is an assault on the Christian faith and in violation of the First Amendment. It\u2019s wrong and must be corrected immediately.\u201d\n\nCongressman Andy Harris: \u201cIt is both unconscionable and a cause of grave concern that the Biden Administration would issue a cease-and-desist order directing Catholic priests to halt all religious services during the Holy Week at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Service members have a constitutional right to the free exercise of their religion and any effort to discriminate against that would amount to an infringement of their First Amendment Rights. The Biden Administration needs to provide answers to Congress regarding this act of blatant Defense Department overreach.\u201d\n\nCongresswoman Diana Harshbarger: \u201cThe Biden Administration\u2019s decision to strip patients of essential pastoral care during a Holy Week is indefensible. These priests were sent a cease and desist just days before the Easter Holiday, despite having provided care at Walter Reed for nearly two decades. This is nothing short of an assault on the First Amendment and Christian faith.\u201d\n\nCongresswoman Anna Paulina Luna: \u201cDuring the most important week to the Christian faith, Walter Reed and the Biden Administration chose to attack faithful Catholic priests for simply carrying out their ministry to those in need like they\u2019ve done for almost 20 years. These priests were there to assist our troops who have been injured as a result of war. Sometimes these priests are the only ones who can reach those struggling with the dark and painful wounds of war. This biased and hateful assault on Christianity has no place in our nation and I condemn it in the strongest terms. We will be investigating this.\u201d\n\nCongressman Andy Biggs: \u201cI\u2019m alarmed by the Biden Administration\u2019s abrupt termination of the Holy Name College Friary\u2019s services at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center during Holy Week\u2014arguably the most important week of the year for Christians and Catholics.\n\n\u201cThis unprecedented decision violates all religious norms at the hospital and is a direct assault on First Amendment rights. As a result of this move, service members at the hospital will have their right to exercise religion constrained.\n\n\u201cMy House colleagues and I demand an immediate explanation from the Biden Administration.\u201d\n\nCongressman Michael Cloud: \u201cReligious liberty is foundational to our society, and targeting any group on the basis of their religious beliefs is egregious and should be fully condemned. Our government should be protecting individuals who use their constitutionally protected right to exercise religion, not abusing their authority to attack them.\u201d\n\nCongressman Eli Crane: \u201cThe Biden Admin\u2019s assault on believers before the start of the holiest week in Christianity is particularly vile. Sadly, it\u2019s not surprising coming from a regime that advocates for abortion up until the moment of birth, threatens women\u2019s rights by refusing to recognize the inherent differences between males and females, and pushes irreversible bodily mutilation on children.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T23:44:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://marymiller.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-miller-demands-answers-bidens-defense-secretary-violating-religious"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0525896213948727, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}