Bush announces increase in funds for faith-based groups

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration has boosted federal money going to religious organizations that deliver social services for the needy, despite President Bush's failure to win congressional support for his vision of "rallying the armies of compassion.

"It is said that faith can move mountains," Bush said Tuesday in announcing that $2 billion in federal grants had gone to "faith-based" organizations during the 2004 budget year. "Here in Washington, D.C., those helping the poor and needy often run up against a big mountain -- called bureaucracy."

The spending represents a 14 percent increase in money disbursed by five federal agencies ranging from the Departments of Education to Health and Human Services. Their grants to faith-based groups grew from $1.17 billion in 2003 to $1.334 billion in 2004.