Trump's Religious Liberty Commission Rejects Church-State Separation

President Donald Trump's Religious Liberty Commission is advancing recommendations that explicitly reject the constitutional principle of separating church and state. Commission Chair Dan Patrick, the Texas lieutenant governor, declared at an April meeting that church-state separation is "a lie" and proposed a federal hotline with the message: "There is no separation of church and state." Trump himself echoed that stance at a 2025 White House prayer event.

Commissioners, predominantly conservative Christian clerics and commentators, outlined priorities including prayer and Ten Commandments postings in public schools, expanding public funding for faith-based organizations, and creating religious exemptions in labor, education, and healthcare law. Specific proposals include awarding a Presidential Medal of Freedom to a baker who refused to make a same-sex wedding cake, requiring Department of Justice interventions on behalf of Amish parents fighting vaccine mandates and Catholic nuns challenging gender accommodation rules, and mandating that governments pay all legal fees when they lose religious liberty cases. Commissioner Robert Barron, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester, called for enabling religious groups to receive federal money without compromising traditional church teachings.

A progressive interreligious coalition, the Interfaith Alliance, has sued the commission, arguing it violates federal law requiring advisory panels to feature diverse membership and viewpoints. The Trump administration is seeking dismissal of the lawsuit. Critics say the panel focuses narrowly on conservative Christian grievances while ignoring anti-Muslim efforts and right-wing antisemitism. Commissioner Carrie Prejean Boller was ousted in February after a contentious hearing on antisemitism. Most commission meetings have been held at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC.