A new rule change in the U.S. Department of Agriculture will permanently record “information about a requestor's religious beliefs.”

This data is being gathered on much more than just USDA employees. We’ll share the extensive list below. This week is critical in the fight against these databases. We have just a few days left in some of the public comment periods to make our objections!

We’ll also share about the Department of Justice database.

We are in the middle of our nation’s red-hot battle over personal freedom. There are several public comment periods still open and a bill in Congress to block these extensive databases. It’s urgent to make your voice heard now. Send your faxes to as many of our options as possible demanding they block these databases now. —Your Faith & Liberty team

This database will gather information on all current and future employees, “participants in USDA programs and activities,” “elected or appointed FSA [Farm Service Agency] County and State Committee members, visitors at USDA facilities” and even for people at USDA events in other facilities.

Shockingly, this database can also collect information about employees’ “authorized individuals or representatives (e.g., family member or attorney)” who “request a reasonable accommodation” on an employee’s behalf.

The information that can be gathered includes religious beliefs.

Once the USDA has this information, this rule will allow them to share this data inside and outside the agency.

With broad and undefined language, this rule states that these records “may be disclosed outside USDA” if those receiving the data are “appropriate” agencies or individuals, and when the USDA’s leadership decides it is “reasonably necessary” to give out this private information. This includes:

• All USDA employees or “contractors, grantees, experts, consultants, students, interns, and others performing or working on a contract, service, grant, cooperative agreement, or other assignments … ”
• Any employees of the Department of Justice for legal advice.
• Any congressional office at the individual’s request.
• Any federal, state and local government, as well as foreign governments.
• “Such agencies, entities, and persons is reasonably necessary” if there is a security breach.
• These records are then permanently stored in the National Archives with a records administration archivist.

So, for example, if there is a “security breach,” this rule gives the USDA full power to share information from this database to anyone the leadership deems “reasonable.”

In addition, when the USDA published this rule launching the new database, it became immediately “effective upon publication.” There was no time for public comment.

The fact that federal databases are gathering information on people’s religious beliefs is shocking! We must fight back. Tell Congress and these federal departments and agencies to permanently erase the databases.

And it’s not just the USDA . . .

The Department of Justice also launched a new database. This rule became effective immediately without public comment.

The DOJ is now tracking “Department personnel, including employees, interns, contractors, and other personnel assigned to Department components such as Task Force Officers and other detailees.”

The DOJ is gathering information on “testing results, symptoms, and treatments; vaccination records; health status information; and other information necessary and relevant to Department activities.” It will track all “information necessary to implement federal, state, or local mandates … including requests for legally required exceptions such as those based on religious or medical considerations.”

All data the DOJ is gathering will be stored by a “cloud service provider,” which hackers could access. Our religious and medical information should not be sold to the highest bidder. These databases must be stopped.

Send your critical faxes right away. These departments and members of Congress need to act now to block these dangerous databases across 55 federal departments and agencies.

Lists of religious minorities have often preceded government persecution. Now, in the name of COVID, our federal government is creating databases of people with religious beliefs. It can be disseminated or accessed virtually at will by federal and state governments and shared with foreign governments.

Nothing prevents the list from being used for nefarious purposes by either individual or institutional bad actors. For example, our tax data is supposed to be private. However, on more than one occasion, someone has leaked confidential tax documents to the media.

In an era of “doxxing” political opponents and demonizing sincere religious beliefs, the mere existence of a list like this is dangerous.

A bill in Congress will block these databases and defund their efforts to track law-abiding Americans. We need to urge our U.S. legislators to immediately act to pass the “Religious Freedom Over Mandates Act” (HR 6502), which can block funding to these databases.

Send a clear message to Congress and these departments with your urgent faxes demanding they block these databases.

We are working tirelessly to voice your concern and spread information about why this bill needs to be passed. In addition, every day we strive to bring the Word of God to bear on the hearts and minds of our nation’s public policy makers. Your support is invaluable. Give today through our Challenge Grant to DOUBLE the impact through your monthly recurring gift or one-time donation.

Your missionaries to Washington, D.C.,

Peggy Nienaber, Vice President

Mat Staver, Chairman

Rev. Gregory Cox, Lead Missionary

P.S. You can also sign a petition to these leaders to be delivered at critical moments in this fight against a "religious" database.

Sources:

“Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records.” Federal Register: Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. January 7, 2022. Federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/07/2021-28547/privacy-act-of-1974-new-system-of-records.

“Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records.” Federal Register: U.S. Department of Justice, Justice Management Division. January 11, 2022. Federalregister.gov/documents/2022/01/11/2022-00240/privacy-act-of-1974-systems-of-records.

“Resources & Research: COVID Vaccine.” Liberty Counsel Action, 2021. lcaction.org/vaccine.