David Kuo Dies: Former Head Of Bush’s Faith-Based Initiative Passes Away At 44

David Kuo, a former top official in President George W. Bush‘s faith-based initiative, has died. He was 44. According to his wife, Kimberly, Mr. Kuo passed away on April 5 in Charlotte from brain cancer that was diagnosed a decade ago.

Mr. Kuo was an evangelical Christian conservative who led President Bush’s faith-based initiative before famously turning on the administation, accusing it of failing to live up to the values it purported to hold.

David Kuo left his role as deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in 2003. He immediately became an outspoken critic of the administration, accusing it of failing to provide the $8 billion in federal spending that Bush, in his days as a candidate, had promised would pay for “armies of compassion.”

Mr. Kuo was not alone in his assessment. His predecessor, John J. DiIulio Jr., resigned in August 2001 after registering similar criticisms.

Bush created the faith-based office, which critics argued blurred the line between church and state, with his very first executive order as president. The new office meant religious groups could receive federal funding for offering social services.

Yet the White House failed to follow through on its promises, argued Mr. Kuo after leaving the office. In a 2003 60 Minutes interview (embedded below), Kuo said taxpayer money earmarked for religious organizations failed to materialize.

When David Kuo’s 2006 memoir, Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction, again criticized the scheme, the White House responded by saying the faith-based office was a “top priority” for the president.

Kuo also enjoyed a notable writing career. His first book, dot.bomb: My Days and Nights at an Internet Goliath, was the Good Morning America book club selection. His second book, the aforementioned Tempting Faith, appeared for a short time on the New York Times best-seller list. His articles appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and Time.