By
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - President Bush said yesterday he will tap religious institutions for more charitable work, confronting critics who say using public money for such programs could violate the wall between church and state. "Compassion is the work of a nation, not just a government," he said.
Bush established a White House office that would distribute billions of dollars to religious groups and charities over the next 10 years. The president said such groups grapple daily with "deep needs and real suffering" in communities and deserve a chance to compete for taxpayer money for after-school programs, prison ministries and drug treatment, among other things.
"Government will never be replaced by charities and community groups," Bush said. "Yet when we see social needs in America, my administration will look first to faith-based programs... We will not discriminate against them."
The president signed two executive orders, one to establish a White House office of religion-based community initiatives, and the other instructing five Cabinet-level agencies to create entities to work with religious groups. Bush said he issued the second order to clear barriers "that make private groups hesitant to work with government."
To build support, Bush will meet throughout the week with leaders of spiritual and charitable groups and he plans to attend the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday.
Bush chose University of Pennsylvania political science professor John J. DiIulio Jr. to head the office, and tapped former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith to head the Corporation for National Service, which will work in cooperation with the new White House office. Bush said both men will report directly to him.
Skeptics say shifting government money to churches, synagogues and mosques so they can expand assistance programs raises church-state separation questions. Even some churches are wary of government money that might come with strings attached.
DiIulio, Goldsmith and other supporters brushed aside such questions when they spoke with reporters after Bush's announcement
"It's proven that when there's a faith component to social services, it brings about a greater opportunity and a greater percentage (chance) that that person's going to be changed from the inside out, as opposed to from outside in," said the Rev. Herbert Lusk, who attended yesterday's meeting. Lusk endorsed Bush at the Republican National Convention.
Striking pre-emptively at critics, Bush said religious groups must be part of the solution to society's ills.
"A compassionate society is one which recognizes the great power of faith," Bush said last week. "We in government must not fear faith-based programs, we must welcome faith-based programs."
Bush also met yesterday with top aides to discuss a long-range national energy policy and announced the formation of a task force to attack supply shortages. Vice President Dick Cheney, a former energy company executive, will head the panel. It will also include several Cabinet members, though the president did not announce its exact composition.
Bush reiterated that California's power crunch is a state problem, not a federal one. But he said that he was concerned about the energy shortage spreading to other western states, as well as the impact of high energy prices on consumers throughout the nation.
The panel will study U.S. reliance on foreign petroleum and expanding pipeline capacity, he said, promising to act "boldly and swiftly."
On Sunday, Cheney again hinted that the administration would explore easing environmental regulations that have hindered building new power generators. "California's probably the toughest state in the country today in which to build a power plant," he said on "Fox News Sunday."
Bush also was dispatching top energy officials to meet with governors of western states affected by the crunch.
The new president opened his term last week with a strong emphasis on education, an area where he has both expertise and strong support for change.
This week, however, he is stepping into thornier issues - California's power crunch, the divisive religion-based action initiative and his plan to provide prescription drugs to seniors through the Medicare program.
Bush, borrowing elements of a congressional Republican plan, pledged to revamp the entire Medicare program, giving senior citizens a choice of health plans, including some that offer drug coverage.
But Bush said this overhaul would not take effect for four years. In the meantime, he would give states money to help low-income seniors pay for drugs.
Critics question the wisdom of creating a new web of programs that may disappear four years later. They also argue that once created, the grants would be hard to stop after four years.
