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The IRS says church officials can endorse political candidates without losing tax-exempt status
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The IRS filed a joint court filing with National Religious Broadcasters, an evangelical media group. That group had filed a lawsuit against the IRS over the 1954 Johnson
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Amendment. That amendment prohibits tax-exempt organizations, like churches, from endorsing political candidates. The National Religious Broadcasters and fellow plaintiffs claimed
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the amendment violated their First Amendment rights. The agreement in the court filing
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keeps the Johnson Amendment in place, but carves an exemption for houses of worship
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The decision has brought some concerns over using nonprofits to funnel campaign money tax-free
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Diane Yentl, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, said, quote
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This action, long sought by President Trump, is not about religion or free speech
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but about radically altering campaign finance laws. President Trump has said he'd like to repeal the Johnson Amendment altogether
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For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan. For more unbiased straight facts, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com
