Abstract
The United States has a long history of religious influence on public policy: the anti-slavery movement, progressivism, prohibition, civil rights, abortion, school vouchers, school prayer and nuclear disarmament are all issues that have involved religion and religious groups in policymaking. In recent decades, the number of religious interest groups (as well as interest groups in general) has greatly expanded, but the role that the religious organizations play as interest groups in the policy arena has received relatively little attention. How are they similar to and different from other interest groups? What tactics do they use? How successful are they? Under what conditions is success or failure more likely? This article examines Roman Catholic religious groups as interest groups in the congressional policymaking process. First, it places Catholic interest groups in the context of the interest group literature, and second, it examines Catholic interest groups’ activity in the passage of welfare reform in 1996 and in the passage of health care reform in 2010. In both cases, they played a greater role in context-setting than in actually changing provisions.
Highlights
In August of 2009, American Catholic Bishops laid out three primary policy goals for health care reform in the United States: it would not deliver any federal funds for abortion, it would increase coverage for the poor and it would allow immigrants to receive benefits
In the case of health care reform, the Bishops made those positions known through bulletin inserts that went to all parishes in the country.This is not to say that Catholics are always aware of specifics related to legislation, or even that they agree with the bishops’ statements
Unlike conservative Protestant groups, Catholics are generally not opposed to the federal government ensuring universal health care...the bishops were largely credited with a lobbying effort that resulted in an amendment forbidding the use of federal funds for insurance cover of abortion [56]
Summary
In August of 2009, American Catholic Bishops laid out three primary policy goals for health care reform in the United States: it would not deliver any federal funds for abortion, it would increase coverage for the poor and it would allow immigrants (in the country legally or illegally) to receive benefits. This article is an attempt to place religious ( Catholic) interest groups in the context of the interest group literature, by examining their role in two case studies, welfare reform in 1996 and health care reform in 2011. This article will operate under the assumption that religious interest groups are appropriately involved in the political process, a point that has been well-articulated elsewhere [6,7], and instead will attempt to examine the groups as interest groups It will place Catholic interest groups in the context of the interest group literature, and, second, it will examine the role that Catholic interest groups played in the passage of welfare reform in 1996 and in the passage of health care reform in 2010. We conclude with a discussion of the constraints faced by interest groups in the policymaking process
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