During the May 4th National Day of Prayer ceremony held in the White House Rose Garden, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that, in part, is aimed at limiting the IRS's ability to enforce the Johnson Amendment.
At the signing, the President spoke as though he was fully repealing the law. In reality, this section of the executive order doesn’t really do much more than send a strong message to the IRS not to enforce the law. That is a problem, but it isn't a repeal.
The false rhetoric Trump continues to spread about the Johnson Amendment is a problem. The misinformation is intended to shape the public’s understanding of the law and is a setup for repeal efforts.
In fact, while Trump was signing his executive order, members of Congress were just up the street moving forward on their own plans to repeal the Johnson Amendment. A House Oversight & Government Reform joint subcommittee held a hearing designed to drum up support for legislation that would repeal or weaken the Johnson Amendment.
