1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

We demand immediate action against President Trump’s expanding religious apparatus that violates the constitutional separation of church and state. Trump signed an Executive Order on May 1, 2025, creating a Religious Liberty Commission dominated by evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics with only one Jewish member. This Commission actively develops policies to embed Christian perspectives into federal governance, as seen in Trump’s recent announcement of new Department of Education guidelines to protect prayer in public schools. This Commission blatantly violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison warned against establishing one religion over another. The Supreme Court ruled in Everson v. Board of Education that government cannot pass laws that aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Yet this Commission does exactly that by institutionalizing Christian influence over federal policy. This religious favoritism marginalizes the 35% of Americans who are not Christian. Currently, 28% are religiously unaffiliated, and 6% belong to non-Christian religions like Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. A 2021 Pew survey found 69% of Americans believe the government should never declare an official religion. When government commissions dominated by one faith develop “religious liberty” policies, it implies Christian Americans are preferred citizens whose values deserve special endorsement, while others are second-class. The Commission’s composition reveals its true purpose. Led by Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and former HUD Secretary Ben Carson, it includes televangelists, conservative Catholic bishops, and Heritage Foundation fellows, but excludes Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, and progressive voices. Member Eric Metaxas recently called Islam “a death cult” on social media. This is not religious liberty for all—it’s Christian nationalism disguised as constitutional protection. The Commission’s scheduled hearings through November show its ongoing effort to reshape American governance around Christian principles. I urge you to publicly condemn this unconstitutional Commission and demand its dissolution. Vote against any appropriations supporting it or the White House Faith Office. Introduce legislation prohibiting executive branch religious advisory bodies that violate church-state separation. Our founders designed a secular government that protects religious liberty by remaining neutral in religious matters. Defend the Constitution and protect equal citizenship for Americans of all faiths and none.