Washington • In a minor win for Democrats, the final GOP tax bill will not include a repeal of the Johnson Amendment, a change which would have enabled religious institutions and all nonprofits organized as 501(c)3s to endorse political candidates.
Trump promised to "totally destroy" the Johnson Amendment at the National Prayer Breakfast in February. Getting rid of it has been a priority of some spiritual leaders, especially in evangelical circles that have typically leaned Republican. The tax bill that passed the House in November scrapped the Johnson Amendment entirely, but the Senate bill did not, setting up as a difference that had to be ironed out in this final week of negotiations.