Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinion last summer in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, conservatives in Congress introduced the First Amendment Defense Act to protect Christians and other people of faith who oppose same-sex marriage.
But as the instances of LGBT “rights” coming in conflict with religious freedom and freedom of conscience continue to pile up, the legislation has been stalled in committee in spite of the fact the bill has more than 160 co-sponsors.
“We have to make sure we’ve got all the right people on board, and also look how to structure such a hearing,” Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) told the Daily Signal earlier this month. “This is a big, weighty issue and we want to make sure we lay the foundation properly.”
The House Freedom Caucus is growing impatient with the now-10-month wait. During a recent press conference hosted by the Heritage Foundation, Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) said “it’s time” for Congress to address the freedom of conscience issues that have arisen in America.
“It’s time for us to respond to what the American people want us to do on this issue,” he said. “It’s an important issue in this society.”
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) agreed.
“This is good legislation,” he said. “I think we should have been working on [this issue] a long time ago frankly, but we’re going to keep pushing like we always do.”
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