NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a coalition of attorneys general who oppose new Trump Administration rule they say undermines civil rights protections for employees.

Under the proposed rule, the U.S. Department of Labor would expand existing exemptions to allow any federal contractor who asserts a religious purpose to discriminate against current or prospective employees based on the religious or moral objections of the contractor. In a comment letter, the attorneys general urge the labor department to rescind the proposal, saying it’s a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“This proposed rule legitimizes discrimination and is an affront to our values,” James said. “We will not allow this administration to turn back the clock on civil rights without a vigorous fight.”

Under the proposed rule, DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs would expand its interpretation of the religious exemption contained in Executive Order 11246, which mandates equal employment opportunity in federal government contracting. The order prohibits all federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

James said the executive order already allows for a limited exemption that enables certain religious organizations to favor employees or job candidates of a “particular religion.”

Under the new proposal, the Trump administration seeks to loosen the standards regarding the types of organizations that can self-identify as religious. That, James said, would open the door for a broad range of employers, including for-profit corporations, to claim the exemption and discriminate against their employees because they don’t adhere to specific religious beliefs or practices.