Unfair New Rules Give Churches Special Rights, Raw Political Power
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
TWO Rejects IRS Double Standard Allowing Churches to Endorse Political Candidates
Unfair New Rules Give Churches Special Rights, Raw Political Power
Delray Beach, FL– Truth Wins Out (TWO) today issued a searing rebuke of the Trump Administration’s recently announced IRS guidance permitting houses of worship to endorse political candidates from the pulpit. Executive Director Wayne Besen decried the policy as “an outrageous giveaway of political privilege to religious institutions—privileges denied to every other tax‑exempt nonprofit in America.”
“The Trump administration has created a contemptible double standard that gives churches special rights and an elevated status that provides them undue political influence and raw political power,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “We disagree that nonprofits should be endorsing political candidates, but if they are, why is the political opinion of a church granted more importance than our organization?” asked Besen.
The IRS bizarrely claims that church endorsements aren’t really endorsements or even campaigning. Instead, they are private “conversations” with family members.
“If churchgoers are now considered ‘family members’, why doesn’t the Truth Wins Out family have an equal voice? Why is the government actively suppressing our political speech while promoting and elevating the voices of pastors, some of whom are prone preach hate?” Besen inquired. “This is a brazen attack on our fundamental political liberty that is happening in broad daylight.”
A Dangerous New Exemption
On July 7, the Internal Revenue Service agreed to settle litigation brought by the National Religious Broadcasters Association and two Texas churches. Under the settlement, the IRS will no longer treat “communications from a house of worship to its congregation in connection with religious services through its usual channels of communication on matters of faith” as prohibited campaign intervention.
The rule change is strongly supported by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who previously served as legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a right-wing organization. It is also endorsed by The Family Research Council (FRC), a conservative lobbying group in Washington, DC. FRC has much to gain from the rule change, as it represents a network of 18,000 Evangelical pastors who can now help swing elections to Republican candidates who do their bidding.
This unprecedented carve‑out effectively amends the century‑old Johnson Amendment by administrative fiat—without congressional deliberation or public debate. Since 1954, the Johnson Amendment has barred all 501(c)(3) organizations, including churches, charities, and universities, from “participat[ing] in, or interven[ing] in … any political campaign on behalf of … any candidate for public office.” By singling out houses of worship, the new IRS rule creates an unfair two‑tier system.
Perils of Dark Money and Hidden Influence
Legal experts warn that the rule change opens the door to dark money streams funneled through faith‑based giving. Without the requirement to disclose donors or expenditure details, churches could become conduits for wealthy backers seeking to sway elections under the cloak of religious charity. “This isn’t about free speech—it’s about free secrecy,” Besen observed. “When you combine an endorsement exemption with a lack of transparency, you get government‑sanctioned money laundering.”
In an era of rising political polarization and disinformation, the separation of church and state has served as a bulwark against sectarian strife. By dismantling that barrier, the IRS risks fracturing communities along doctrinal lines and injecting partisan fury into Sunday worship. Faithful Americans of all denominations now face a stark choice: worship in silence or watch their sermons become campaign rallies.
Call to Congress: Reinstate Broad Nonpartisanship
Truth Wins Out calls on Congress to repeal the administrative settlement and codify a uniform prohibition on partisan activity for all 501(c)(3) organizations. Such legislation would:
- Restore the original Johnson Amendment, ensuring that no charitable or religious institution can endorse or oppose candidates;
- Mandate financial transparency, requiring churches to file reports disclosing political expenditures and major donors; and
- Uphold the First Amendment, by protecting genuine religious expression while preventing the coercion of congregations into electoral politics.
This rule change arrives at a fraught moment: millions of Americans face disinformation campaigns that stoke fear and division. By empowering preachers to endorse candidates without checks, the administration risks inflaming social tensions and undermining faith communities’ moral authority.
About Truth Wins Out
Truth Wins Out is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that works to advance liberty and democracy, protect the rights of LGBTQ people and other minorities, combat religious extremism, and fight against the spread of disinformation.
Media Contact:
Contact: Wayne Besen, Executive Director
Email: WBesen@truthwinsout.org
Website: www.TruthWinsOut.org
