CRAWFORD, USA - President George W. Bush leaves the seclusion of his ranch on Monday for Detroit, where he will ask U.S. mayors to nudge Congress into moving ahead with his faith-based solutions to society's problems.
Reappearing after three days out of public sight on his remote 1,600-acre (647-hectare) property in central Texas, Bush "will talk about the importance of his faith and community based initiative" when he addresses the annual Conference of Mayors, said White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan.
Bush, a Republican whose political philosophy embraces passing power out of Washington to state and local authorities, was speaking to the nation's mayors "because of their important role in developing strong partnerships between government and the people to address important issues in neighborhoods and communities," Buchan said.
Later, the president returns to Washington and a week of foreign-policy related meetings with the leaders of Israel, South Africa, Japan, Mali, Senegal and Ghana.
Bush's plan to let churches, synagogues and mosques help deliver $250 billion in federal social programs, ranging from aid to pregnant teens to helping the homeless, has stalled in Congress, particularly since Democrats took control of the Senate from Republicans early this month.
Hearings have been held by several House panels, including the Government Reform, Ways and Means and Judiciary committees. The Senate Judiciary Committee has also addressed the issue, but the White House is pushing for concrete action.
"We are hopeful that there will be mark-ups this week in the House Judiciary Committee and possibly the Ways and Means Committee," Buchan said. "We are hopeful there will be a (full House) vote on the initiative in July."
Currently no committees are scheduled to meet on the issue this week, although Buchan suggested there could be a hearing as early as Wednesday.
PILLAR OF DOMESTIC AGENDA
The faith-based initiative is a pillar of Bush's "compassionate conservative" domestic agenda and a flash point for some who see a blurring of the constitutional line between church and state.
Despite support from Republican leaders and some prominent Democrats, Bush's plan has drawn fire from all points on the political compass.
Religious conservatives worry the lure of federal money will lead charities to abandon their spirituality. Civil libertarians wonder how government aid for charitable work will be separated from money for religious activities. Skeptics are concerned about how religious organizations will be defined.
Apart from expanding a provision of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act that allows faith-based groups to compete for federal funds, Bush's plan would encourage giving by increasing tax credits for personal and corporate charitable donations.
It also would set up a "compassion capital fund" to match private giving with federal dollars to help small community and faith-based charities extend their reach.
"A faith-based initiative understands that in order to solve the problems of those hooked on alcohol and drugs, that sometimes the only way is to call upon a higher being," Bush told a Republican fund-raising dinner en route to his long weekend at the ranch.
He urged Congress "not to get stuck on the process" but to focus on results "so we can change America in an incredibly positive, hopeful and optimistic way."
Bush, who gave up alcohol and found God almost 15 years ago, is a Methodist who reads the Bible every day and sometimes prays in the Oval Office. He has given religion a high profile at the White House, focusing his second week as president on the faith-based initiative and "compassionate conservatism."
00:10 06-25-01
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