In court filings July 7, the IRS has largely backed down on a decades-old rule that barred churches from engaging in political activity.

The Internal Revenue Service’s proposed consent decree with religious organizations to allow churches to speak about political campaigns without losing their nonprofit status faced opposition Thursday from an advocacy group seeking to stop the accord.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday welcomed the Internal Revenue Service's decision that houses of worship could endorse political candidates to their congregations without risking losing their status as tax-exempt nonprofits.