Congressional Freethought Caucus Leaders Celebrate NO BAN Act Passage

July 22, 2020

Washington, D.C. – Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Jamie Raskin (MD-08), founders of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, issued the following statement in celebration of House passage of the NO BAN Act, authored by Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), as part of H.R. 2486. In October 2019, the Congressional Freethought Caucus sent a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committee to express strong support for the NO BAN Act, urging the committees to consider the legislation and move it to the floor. 

“We are pleased today that the House took a strong stand against religious bigotry, xenophobia, and race discrimination by passing the NO BAN Act. This legislation repeals President Trump’s disgraceful and unconstitutional Muslim travel ban that has kept families apart, threatened the safety of U.S. citizens, and violates fundamental constitutional values of religious liberty and equal protection. As Chairs of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, we believe in protecting the secular character of our government and following the principle of the separation of church and state. Like most Americans, we cherish our freedom to choose what we believe in, and this administration’s anti-Muslim immigration policy does not reflect the values our Founders held dear. 

“As champions of the NO BAN Act, we commend Congresswoman Chu for her leadership. We hope that our colleagues in the Senate will recognize the dangerous precedent set by the President’s irrational and unconscionable ban and choose to uphold the inclusive, free character of the United States.”

###