mr. chairman , first , the first half of the gentleman 's remarks previously are irrelevant .  we are not disputing the importance of including faith-based groups as providers .  when this question came up years ago , i was ardently for it .  no one is trying to prevent faith-based groups from providing the service .  no one is saying that a faith-based using its own money , using private money , using private donations has to pay any attention to the question of hiring if they choose to have only their religious co-workers .  the question is if a faith-based group wants to take federal money paid for by every taxpayer in this country , is it a violation of their religious character to say , with that federal money , they must not discriminate in hiring ?  the religious character being imputed to these groups makes me think that we are talking about the constitution of the iraq .  what is this ?  the sunnis should not have to hire the shias ?  the shias should not have to deal with the kurds ?  what is the principle here ?  are we not trying to promote the notion of people living together ?  what religious group taking federal money says , `` you know what , i want to help these poor people , but not with a jew , '' `` i can not have a baptist working for me , '' `` no mormon need apply '' ?  we are not talking about administering religious services .  we are not talking about performing religious rites .  we are talking about taking federal money to perform what has to be , remember , a secular service .  we all agree to that .  if it were not a wholly secular service , no one would expect us to be funding it with federal money .  and this is the question i have to ask my friends .  of course we want religious groups there .  why is it so terrible to tell jews that they must associate with baptists if federal money is being spent to provide child care services ?  what violation of the religious right of a catholic is to say you have to hire a methodist ?  how are episcopalians being deprived of their religious integrity if they are told that , you know what , when you have federal money in this program , if you hire a presbyterian , that is okay .  i mean , this is fundamental , we thought , in america .  again , we are talking about federal money , and we are talking about not imputing to religious groups an insistence on bigotry and discrimination in the spending of federal funds .  