The Trump administration has come out against the Equality Act, which could face a floor vote Friday and would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected classes in non-discrimination laws. 

Religious liberty and conservative groups warn the bill, if passed and signed into law, could have devastating effects on women’s rights and religious freedom.  

“The Trump administration absolutely opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all; however, this bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights,” a senior administration official told the Washington Blade and several other media outlets. 

The Equality Act (H.R. 5) would amend federal laws to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit and the jury system. Among the amended laws would be the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act. 

It would be the most significant LGBT rights bill ever passed. It has 240 co-sponsors, only three of which are Republicans. The rest are Democrats.

But religious liberty groups are warning the bill isn’t as innocent as its name indicates. 

“[W]hile it may sound nice to some ears, this bill actually poses a devastating and…

Evangelist Franklin Graham took to Twitter this week chastising Democrats for omitting the phrase “so help me God” from witness oaths, and singling out a Tennessee representative who said God doesn’t belong in Congress.

“Why has the Democratic Party turned its back on God? @RepCohen of TN said, ‘I think God belongs in religious institutions: in temple, in church, in cathedral, in mosque—but not in Congress,’” said the first of a series of tweets made by Graham on May 14.

The tweets were in response to a New York Times article highlighting a new policy by numerous committee heads dropping the traditional phrase “so help me God,” from witness oaths. The Times quoted U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, chairman of the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, taking a swipe at the religious beliefs of Republicans.

“I think God belongs in religious institutions: in temple, in church, in cathedral, in mosque — but not in Congress,” he said, adding that what Republicans are doing “is using God.”

“And God doesn’t want to be used,” Cohen said.

Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, took direct aim at the Democrat party, saying many of its members want to eliminate the Almighty so they are free to live without a moral…

The U.S. State Department has ordered the withdrawal of all non-emergency personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and U.S. Consulate in Erbil amid mounting tensions with Iran and threats to U.S. government employees.

According to ABC News, government sources have warned of “clear indications” that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is planning imminent attacks on American forces both on land and at sea. The U.S. Embassy called the measures “appropriate given the current security conditions,” but did not name any specific threats. Last week, Pompeo stated that the threats “were imminent.”

The State Department insisted that the withdrawals were necessary after receiving “increased intelligence reporting” regarding potential Iranian military operations.

“We do not make these decisions lightly,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. “The safety and welfare of US government personnel and US citizens is the department’s highest priority. We are confident in the Iraqi security services determination to protect us, but this threat is serious and we want to reduce the risk of harm. We remain committed to partnering with Iraq to advance our mutual interest.”

While diplomatic relations have been poor for some time, Pompeo insisted that the increasingly serious nature of the Islamic Republic’s threats would not go unanswered.

“Our position hasn’t changed,”…