Oklahoma amends request for Bibles that had matched Trump-promoted version
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma has amended its request for 55,000 Bibles to be placed in public schools that initially matched a version of the book endorsed by former President Trump.
The request was amended Monday and no longer requires the Bibles to include U.S. historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution — requirements that match the “God Bless the USA Bible” that Trump endorsed this year and that are several times more expensive than similar Bibles that don’t include the U.S. documents.
The new request says the historical documents may be included together or separately and extends the deadline for offers to supply the items by one week, from Oct. 14 to Oct. 21.
The request is part of state schools Supt. Ryan Walters’ efforts to require Bibles in public school classrooms, which has been met with resistance by some of Oklahoma’s largest school districts.
Oklahoma’s top education official is seeking to purchase 55,000 Bibles that match one endorsed by former President Trump.
Walters, in a Monday video on the social media platform X, said the Bible will be used “because of its historical significance throughout this nation’s history,” blaming the “fake news media” for what he called lies about the program.
“The left-wing media hates Donald Trump so much, and they hate the Bible so much, they will lie and go to any means necessary to stop this initiative from happening,” Walters said.
Walters’ spokesperson, Dan Isett, said in a statement that the changes to the request for proposal, or RFP, were suggested by the state Office of Management and Enterprise Services, which issues the requests and were agreed to by Walters.
“Unfortunately, there have been false reports that have been repeated by numerous, supposedly credible, news organizations that the state’s RFP was catered to one specific organization,” Isett said, noting that tailoring the request so that only one manufacturer’s Bible would qualify would be illegal.
Oklahoma’s education chief is requiring public schools to incorporate Bible lessons and vowing repercussions for those that don’t comply.
Christa Helfrey, a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, said the changes were made to the request in an effort to save taxpayer money. The agency “worked with [the state Department of Education] to amend the solicitation to provide the listed resources at a much better value to Oklahomans,” Helfrey said.
The initial request included requirements that are not commonly found in Bibles but are included in the “God Bless the USA Bible,” which Trump urged his supporters to begin buying earlier this year from a website that sells the book for $59.99.
The Bibles must be bound in “leather or leather-like material for durability,” according to the initial request.
Similar Bibles that don’t include the Declaration of Independence or Constitution are available online for less than $20.
Miller writes for the Associated Press.
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