Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) strongly criticized Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) for suggesting that President Joe Biden‘s National Drug Control Strategy is flawed because it doesn’t mention God or faith. Raskin dismissed the idea as “preposterous.”
What Happened: During a hearing focused on the Office of National Drug Control Policy‘s efforts to address the overdose crisis, Raskin, on Gosar’s suggestion, said God or faith would be a violation of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits Congress from making laws respecting the establishment of religion, reported The Hill.
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"The gentleman is somehow looking for some kind of religious test, which is explicitly forbidden in the Constitution [for] people for public office, in the drug control strategy," Raskin said.
"Surely, [faith] can make a difference in terms of people's individual lives and individual paths to recovery. People will derive sources of strength from many different places, including religious faith, including their friends and their family, including psychology and so on."
"But the idea that our drug strategy is flawed because it doesn't put religion in the center seems to me to be preposterous," said Raskin.
Gosar argued that "Biden's National Drug Control Strategy is 150 pages. The words ‘God' and ‘faith' are not mentioned one time. People need a purpose to be happy."
He also insinuated that there might be a link between increased government assistance, a lack of faith in God, and a rise in drug overdoses.
Read Next: Joe Biden Will Not Pardon Son If Convicted, Says White House
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