STATEMENT: Reopening Houses of Worship Must Be Guided by Public Health Evidence, Not Politics, CAP’s Neera Tanden Says

Washington, D.C. — In response to President Donald Trump’s call for houses of worship to reopen immediately, Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:

Reopening houses of worship must be guided by public health evidence, not politics. The best advice for houses of worship is to ignore the chaos coming from the president, who first attempted to co-opt Easter for his premature push to reopen the country. Faith leaders who have provided critical leadership in flattening the curve of the coronavirus pandemic will see through this purely political statement. President Trump’s reckless call to reopen congregations now will place the health and safety of worshippers at risk—risk that has been magnified by the administration’s abysmal handling of this crisis.

For more information or to talk to an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at ‮g​r​o​.​s​s​e​r​g​o​r​p​n​a​c​i​r​e​m​a​@​l​e​n​a​n​a​h​s‭ or 202-478-6327.