Bush's Aide Defends New Faith-Based Initiative

March 2, 2001

Source: The Associated Press

On March 2, 2001, the Associated Press reported that "President Bush's pointman [John DiIulio] for directing more federal money to religious charities says the effort probably will wind up in court, even as he tries to convince Americans that concerns over mixing church and state are overstated...He is convinced that the courts will line up on his side." His main argument is that concerns raised by the new faith-based initiative apply only to extreme cases. While he works out the details of how the plan will be implemented, "he's traveling the nation, talking through the issues."