Forbes argued that the resolution was necessary due to current court cases attempting to remove references to God on U.S. currency and public property, and confusion over the appropriateness of displaying the national motto on public property, or saying it at public events.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed, 396-9, a concurrent resolution reaffirming “In God We Trust” as the national motto.

The resolution was introduced by Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), co-chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus. It is a concurrent resolution because the Senate already passed a similar resolution in 2006 for the 50th anniversary of “In God We Trust” as the nation’s motto. Resolutions do not carry the force of law and do not require the president’s signature.

“Tomorrow, the House of Representatives will have the same opportunity to reaffirm our national motto and directly confront a disturbing trend of inaccuracies and omissions, misunderstandings of church and state, rogue court challenges, and efforts to remove God from the public domain by unelected bureaucrats. As our nation faces challenging times, it is appropriate for Members of Congress and our nation – like our predecessors – to firmly declare our trust in God, believing that it will sustain us for generations to come,” Forbes said in a statement Monday.

Forbes also criticized President Obama for claiming that our national motto was E pluribus unum, a Latin phrase meaning “out of many, one” found on U.S. currency, in a Nov. 10, 2010, speech in Indonesia. Obama never said e pluribus unum was our “national” motto, but described it as one of many mottos. “It is a story written into our national mottos. In the United States, our motto is E pluribus unum – out of many, one,” Obama said.

The bill provides several examples of when the importance of God to the nation has been affirmed in public documents and the words of national leaders, including Presidents John Adams, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy and Gerald Ford.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) led opposition to the bill on the House floor. He argued that the bill was unnecessary, intentionally divisive and sent the message that citizens who do not believe in God are less American.

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