GOP Utah Sen. Mike Lee

For years, Republicans have been prescribing so-called "religious freedom" as the antidote to LGBTQ advances. Now, as they eye full control of the federal government, they like their odds of finally passing such legislation, writes Dominic Holden.

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah will reintroduce a bill next year to protect people and corporations that hold a religious objection to same-sex marriage, a spokesman for his office told BuzzFeed News, adding that the political climate amid Donald Trump’s presidency will give the legislation a better shot at advancing than it had the past two years. “Hopefully November’s results will give us the momentum we need to get this done next year,” said Lee’s spokesman, Conn Carroll.

The legislation, known as the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), creates special rights for people who oppose same-sex marriage and premarital sex, allowing them to discriminate against anyone from LGBT families to pregnant single women. FADA would ban the federal government from punishing an organization (e.g. denying federal tax dollars) that refuses to serve someone based on a "religious belief or moral conviction." In other words, FADA promotes taxpayer-funded discrimination, among other things. Hospitals could refuse to provide care to kids of same-sex parents; pharmacies could decline to fill birth control prescriptions.

Getting such a bill through the House will likely be cinch, but the Senate may pose some hurdles with the prospect of Democrats filibustering the legislation. That said, Republicans could attach such a measure to must-pass funding legislation and see if Democrats blink.