President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating the Religious Liberty Commission to preserve one of the nation’s foundational principles.
The Commission will be tasked with “producing a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, strategies to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism, current threats to religious liberty, and strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations,” a fact sheet on the matter says, noting that the group will focus on parental rights, freedom of conscience, school choice, attacks on churches, free speech, and other areas.
While the U.S. Constitution protects religious liberty under the First Amendment, some policies have “undermined this right by targeting conscience protections, preventing parents from sending their children to religious schools, threatening funding and non-profit status for faith-based entities, and excluding religious groups from government programs,” the fact sheet explains.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas will chair the Commission.
“I am honored to be selected as the Chairman of the Religious Liberty Commission by President Trump. 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,” he said in a statement. “I thank President Trump for his steadfast commitment to ensuring our nation returns to our founding principles of faith and religious liberty.”
Trump previously issued an executive order to combat anti-Christian bias in federal agencies. Announced during April’s National Prayer Breakfast, the order seeks to ensure that religious freedom protections are fully enforced and that Christians are not unfairly targeted by government policies.
