President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday establishing a commission with the goal of protecting religious liberty in the nation.
“The Founders envisioned a Nation in which religious voices and views are integral to a vibrant public square and human flourishing and in which religious people and institutions are free to practice their faith without fear of discrimination or hostility from the Government,” the order states.
In recent years, however, religious liberty has come under attack at the federal, state, and local level.
“These policies attempt to infringe upon longstanding conscience protections, prevent parents from sending their children to religious schools, threaten loss of funding or denial of non-profit tax status for faith-based entities, and single out religious groups and institutions for exclusion from governmental programs,” the order continues. “Some opponents of religious liberty would remove religion entirely from public life. Others characterize religious liberty as inconsistent with civil rights, despite religions’ vital roles in the abolition of slavery; the passage of Federal civil rights laws; and the provision of indispensable social, educational, and health services.
“President Ronald Reagan reminded us that ‘freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction,’” the order adds. “Americans need to be reacquainted with our Nation’s superb experiment in religious freedom in order to preserve it against emerging threats. Therefore, the Federal Government will promote citizens’ pride in our foundational history, identify emerging threats to religious liberty, uphold Federal laws that protect all citizens’ full participation in a pluralistic democracy, and protect the free exercise of religion.”
According to the order, the commission will report on current threats to religious liberty at home, develop strategies to preserve and enhance religious liberty in the future, and create programs to celebrate the nation's religious pluralism.
Faith is BACK in the White House🙏
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 1, 2025
President @realDonaldTrump: "This is going to be really four years of celebration, so get ready. And we are always going to bring God with us. We are going to bring God to those celebrations. We are not going to forget about God." pic.twitter.com/X5pRdmA2z2
Today, on the National Day of Prayer, we commit to protecting religious freedom for ALL Americans.
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) May 1, 2025
As President @realDonaldTrump emphasized in his powerful Executive Orders, we must combat antisemitism, root out anti-Christian bias, and restore religious liberty in our nation.… pic.twitter.com/Q4hwg01X9s
POWERFUL🙏
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 1, 2025
Amazing Grace is sung before President @realDonaldTrump signs an executive order establishing the Religious Liberty Commission to safeguard and promote America's founding principle of religious freedom. pic.twitter.com/JplOST4LCY
President Trump: "For America to be a great nation, we must always be One Nation Under God, a phrase that they would like to get rid of—the radical left, but I don't think we're going to let them get rid of that." ✝️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/0nw2gm8ixc
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) May 1, 2025
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will serve as the commission's chairman.
“I am honored to be selected as the Chairman of the Religious Liberty Commission by President Trump," he said. "The commission is comprised of some of the foremost faith leaders, scholars, and thinkers of our time. We will carry out the president’s important mission to preserve and strengthen religious liberty in our country. I thank President Trump for his steadfast commitment to ensuring our nation returns to our founding principles of faith and religious liberty."