The Weekly is a highlight of the work the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is doing to strengthen you and our churches for God’s glory.

What is the federal government’s economic response to COVID-19?

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the U.S. Congress has tentatively agreed to five rounds of emergency supplemental appropriations. Currently, two rounds have passed and signed by the president, one has passed the Senate and is pending in the House, and two others have yet to reach the drafting stage.

Here are some highlights from the supplemental bills that have passed or are pending.

Supplemental I: The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act

Overview: This legislation, which was signed by President Trump on March 6, allocated $8.3 billion to fund a response to coronavirus that includes vaccine development, support for state and local governments, and assistance for affected small businesses. The Act includes:

• $61 million in funding to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to facilitate the development and review of medical countermeasures, devices, therapies, and vaccines to combat the coronavirus.
   
• $1 billion in Small Business Disaster Loan subsidies to be made available to help small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture producers, and nonprofit organizations which have been impacted by financial losses as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. This funding enables the Small Business Administration to provide an estimated $7 billion in loans to these entities. In addition, provides $20 million to administer these loans.

This Week at the ERLC

• Jason Thacker was on the Houston Baptist University podcast talking about artificial intelligence and the Christian worldview. He was also on the Holy Post podcast talking about virtual church and AI.
   
• Dan Darling joined leaders from around the world at the COVID-19 Church Online Summit to share how churches can respond well to the coronavirus outbreak.
   
• The ERLC Policy Team's work was highlighted by David Crar of the Associated Press, with reporting by Kate Shellnutt, in Christianity Today: Christians Urge Congress to Incentivize Charitable Giving. In addition, the ERLC’s pro-life work, urging the HHS to ask abortion providers to cease during the pandemic, was highlighted on Iowa Public Radio.
   
• Russell Moore has an op-ed featured in The New York Times titled, God Doesn’t Want Us to Sacrifice the Old.

Helpful Resources On COVID-19

• Keep up with the ERLC’s latest resources on coronavirus at ERLC.com/COVID19
   
• Keep up with the latest CDC news and resources at coronavirus.gov
   
• From The White House | Coronavirus Guidelines for All Americans

What You Need to Know

• Brad Hambrick with 4 principles to remember when talking to your children about coronavirus

First, make sure you have a conversation, not a monologue. The “win” is the second conversation your child initiates. The best outcome from any difficult conversation we initiate with our child is that our child feels more comfortable having awkward conversations with us. Remembering this helps us stay out of professor-mode. You want to know what your child thinks as much as you want to tell them what you think (or at least you should).

• Brandt and Jill Waggoner with 7 ways to love our neighbors while socially distanced

For most of us, this societal upheaval has left us with questions of how to love and care for others while we refraining from most places that society gathers. While our community might be segmented into our homes, we believe we can still “do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Heb. 13:16). We want to teach our children that we should always live in obedience to the scriptures, even when we might feel scared or have our own limited resources. 

• Daryl Crouch with 3 ways the local church is ready for challenging times

Just as hospitals are built to treat sick people and schools are built to educate uneducated people, churches exist to give hope and help to people who need hope and help. We have light that pierces the darkness. We know and commune with the very God of the universe who holds power over disease and whose Son has defeated death. So as our communities face unprecedented challenges, churches stand as ready-made disaster relief centers fully equipped to give the best kind of care imaginable.

News From Capitol Hill

Amid negotiations this week between Capitol Hill and the White House, the ERLC policy team advocated for a two-year, no cap Universal Charitable Deduction (UCD) to encourage charitable giving as part of Congress' coronavirus phase three economic crisis response.

Russell Moore wrote to Congressional leaders in a letter on Thursday, March 19 about how this UCD would help mitigate economic calamity for nonprofits and churches who care for the vulnerable throughout society.

The bill brought forward in the Senate included an above-the-line deduction, yet capped at a mere $300. Senator James Lankford (R–Ok.) proposed a bipartisan amendment that would raise the allowable charitable deduction to $4,000 for individuals and $8,000 for married filers. This amendment was co-sponsored by Republican Senators Tim Scott (S.C.) and Mike Lee (Utah) and Democratic Senators Chris Coons (Del.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), and Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.).

On Sunday, Russell Moore urged Senators to support the amendment. 

The agreed upon deal, which was passed by the Senate on Wednesday night and is expected to be passed by the House Monday, unfortunately keeps the original $300 charitable deduction cap. This level of stimulus is not nearly enough to help meet the challenge our churches and nonprofits face in this crisis.

The bipartisan desire to protect public health and reinforce the economy is honorable, yet the lack of a significant tax incentive for charitable giving in the Senate’s most recent legislation makes both of those responsibilities more difficult. While this is a missed opportunity to significantly help the charitable sector, the legislation did accomplish a few noteworthy policies. First, the bill's Hyde Amendment protections will ensure that the critical healthcare funding cannot be abused by the abortion industry. Second, its Small Business Administration loan guarantees were made available to nonprofits which will help many charities and churches.

Russell Moore commented on our charitable deduction advocacy to Baptist Press:

“A vibrant charitable sector is vital for this tumultuous time. Our churches and nonprofits serve those who are most vulnerable and overlooked by the broader culture, and our policymakers should keep that in mind.

At the same time, the federal government is most effective when its actions bring out the best in local communities and individual Americans. As more legislative steps are envisioned, the ERLC will be there to advocate for policies that propel American generosity towards those who are already serving communities in need.”

Read more: ERLC Working to Encourage Charitable Giving to Churches, Non-Profits during the Coronavirus Crisis

Featured Podcasts

From The Public Square

Pandemic sparks new front in abortion wars
Alice Miranda Ollstein, Renuka Rayasam, and Danielle Muoio, Politico

The coronavirus pandemic is deepening the divide on abortion access between blue and red states by sparking a debate over whether the procedure is medically essential.

Are Church Services Considered ‘Essential’? Depends Where You Live
Elana Schor, Associated Press

As multiple governors issue orders to curb large gatherings and implore residents to stay home in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, at least a half-dozen states have exempted some level of religious activity.

What is a Christian Response to the Coronavirus?
Bruce Ashford

How should a Christian respond to the coronavirus? What should we feel? What should we pray? What should we do or not do?

Iran Releases a Third of Christian Prisoners Due to Coronavirus Concerns
Jayson Casper, Christianity Today

As COVID-19 halts Nowruz, satellite network encourages Iranian believers to know and assert their rights.