Political Quotes

“The First Amendment of our Constitution states that Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. This has not been a controversial thing in our history and also does not have an asterisk next to it saying, ``Unless there is a pandemic.'' We don't restrict freedom of religion. We just don't do that. This has been a great debate in our Nation over the past year as we have seen restrictions on churches and mosques and on synagogues. This is a very simple statement. All this is asking for is to make sure that we treat faith<dagger>based entities the same as we do secular entities. It is not asking for special treatment. It is saying that if you treat a bar one way, then a block away, you have to treat a synagogue the same way; if you treat a store one way, a block away, if there is a church, you have to treat them the same way; if there are outdoor gatherings that are allowed in the city, there has to be outdoor religious gatherings also allowed. It is asking for the same treatment, not special treatment. That is all that this is--to try to affirm this. I didn't think this would be controversial. Quite frankly, I thought this would be something we could voice vote, but I am understanding this is something we may actually have to take a vote on. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.”