President Trump establishes a Religious Liberty Commission on the National Day of Prayer to defend Americans’ First Amendment rights against growing threats to religious freedom.
At a Glance
- Trump signed an Executive Order creating a 14-member Religious Liberty Commission to enforce protections for religious freedom
- The Commission will address issues including parental rights in religious education, conscience protections, and free speech for religious entities
- Three Advisory Boards comprising religious leaders, lay leaders, and legal experts will support the Commission’s work
- Critics claim the initiative undermines separation of church and state, though defenders note this phrase isn’t in the Constitution
- The Commission is scheduled to terminate on July 4, 2026, unless extended by presidential order
Defending Religious Liberty Through Executive Action
On May 1, the National Day of Prayer, President Donald Trump took decisive action to protect religious freedom by establishing the Religious Liberty Commission through executive order. This new commission aims to enforce constitutional protections for people of faith across America at a time when many religious conservatives see their liberties under unprecedented threat. The 14-member commission will be appointed directly by the President and include representatives from various sectors of American society who will serve without compensation, though they may receive allowances for travel expenses.
The Department of Justice will provide funding and administrative support for the Commission, which will work to produce a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty, current threats to religious freedom, and recommend strategies for protecting these fundamental rights. The Commission is designed to terminate on July 4, 2026 – symbolically coinciding with the 250th anniversary of American independence – unless extended by presidential directive.
Addressing Modern Threats to Religious Freedom
The Commission’s focus areas reflect growing concerns among religious Americans about government overreach. These include protecting parental rights in religious education, expanding school choice, defending conscience protections for healthcare workers, and safeguarding free speech rights for religious entities. The initiative comes in response to what many conservatives view as systematic undermining of religious liberties through recent policy changes that have targeted conscience protections and religious schools.
The Commission will be supported by three specialized Advisory Boards consisting of Religious Leaders, Lay Leaders, and Legal Experts. These boards will provide input and expertise to ensure comprehensive and informed recommendations. Additionally, the Commission will advise both the White House Faith Office and the Domestic Policy Council on policies related to religious liberty protections, creating a structure to integrate religious freedom concerns into broader policy discussions.
Clarifying Church and State Separation
Critics have characterized the Commission as an attempt to undermine the separation of church and state, a criticism that Commission defenders reject. They point out that this exact phrase doesn’t appear in the Constitution but originates from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists. The historical context of Jefferson’s letter suggests he was assuring religious minorities that the government would not interfere with religious practice, rather than seeking to remove religious influence from public life.
The Commission furthers President Trump’s record of defending religious liberty, which includes his earlier Executive Order on “Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty” and his “Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.” Supporters of the initiative emphasize that it aims to strengthen religious liberty for all Americans regardless of faith tradition, addressing contemporary challenges like attacks on houses of worship, financial discrimination against religious entities, and erosion of conscience protections in healthcare settings.
Protecting the Free Exercise of Religion
Commission advocates contend that religious liberty is fundamentally a human rights issue rather than a partisan one. They argue the commission fulfills the founders’ vision of a nation where faith is celebrated and not censored, pointing to America’s religious heritage as a source of strength and moral guidance. The initiative rejects what supporters see as attempts by secular progressives to silence religious voices in public discourse, drawing cautionary lessons from historical contexts where religious institutions remained silent in the face of government overreach.
By establishing this Commission with a specific termination date of July 4, 2026, President Trump has created a focused, time-limited effort to examine and strengthen religious liberty protections. The initiative clearly signals the administration’s commitment to defending constitutional freedoms while acknowledging America’s religious foundations. For religious conservatives concerned about protecting their rights to practice faith freely, the Commission represents a concrete step toward addressing what they perceive as growing threats to religious expression in American public life.