Lee Terry's "In God We Trust' stunt cost taxpayers close to $250,000

Top: Rep. Lee Terry
Bottom: Rep. Randall Forbes

The divisive resolution, introduced by VA Rep. Randy Forbes and cosponsored by Rep. Lee Terry (R-Pluto), never made it out of the House Judiciary Committee last year, but did this year, helped by Terry's Judiciary Committee vote.
     The resolution exhorts federal, state and local governments to emblazon a religious bumper sticker on public buildings and means nothing, except as a sop to religious zealots.
      Forbes, Terry's ideological buddy, also has introduced legislation that would require all federal documents to use only the words "mother" and "father" when describing parents.

Roll Call's tally of the measure's cost was as follows:

With three items scheduled to be voted on Tuesday, the total cost of just Members’ salaries and CRS’ estimated floor operating costs means the resolution will cost at least $215,183.

Politico had this to say:

 Rev. Barry Lynn, the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, accused House Republicans of using the vote as a means to “mollify religious conservatives.”

     “This is divisive and a diversion from important national issues. No wonder public opinion of Congress is so low. We face a dire economic situation, the threat of a government shut-down and world instability, and House members are wasting time on symbolic religious issues,” said Lynn.

     Forbes responded to his critics by saying Congress can multi-task several issues, and “to a lot of people, the fact that this country was built on faith, the fact that faith is important, ‘In God We Trust’ is important.”

When the GOP seized control of the House in November 2010, Lee Terry's party adopted new rules forbidding most symbolic resolutions on grounds that such measures are a waste of time.
     In fact, those rules were what Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor cited in May as the reason the House would not pass a stand-alone measure lauding the US raid that killed Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden.
     But Lee Terry and his party broke their own rules for this resolution, just as he and they have continued to ignore the term limit promises they made to constituents.