Controversial Trump religious liberty commission releases report

The Department of Justice on June 26 released the Religious Liberty Commission's draft report following a series of hearings in which commissioners and witnesses raised concerns about topics including antisemitism, religious freedom in public education and a perceived weaponization of the law against Christians under former administrations.

"Although their circumstances differed, their stories shared a common theme: far too often in our national life, religion is treated not as a protected and valued contribution to public life, but as a problem or annoyance to be managed, restricted, or sidelined," the report said.

Critics have long accused the commission of being partisan and overlooking issues such as Islamophobia in favor of those that they say promote Christian nationalism.

At the time it was established in 2025, the commission was tasked with publishing a report on the history and state of religious liberty in the nation by July 4, 2026. The White House said the report would highlight "parental rights in religious education, school choice, conscience protections, attacks on houses of worship, free speech for religious entities and institutional autonomy."

Indeed, the report included recommendations for various demographics, sectors and industries. They included establishing a hotline or online portal for public school teachers and faculty to report perceived violations of religious liberty, and establishing a Parental Rights Task Force between the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Among the other recommendations were:

• "Guarantee faith-based institutions an equal opportunity to participate on an equal basis in funding opportunities without requiring them to renounce their religious identity; issue guidance that religious discrimination in federal funding programs is unconstitutional."
• "Ensure the constitutional guarantees of religious liberty and parental rights are enjoyed by families of all socio-economic means by promoting a robust and universal system of school choice where funding follows the child."
• "Order the Department of War to update and disseminate religious liberty training for military leaders and JAG officers, maintain full applicability of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the military, reverse Obama and Biden-era restrictions on religious practice and expression, and elevate the importance of spiritual fitness in military readiness."
• "Protect religious healthcare workers from being coerced to participate in procedures that violate their religious beliefs by expanding the coverage of the Church Amendments and providing a private right of action for violations."
• "The Commission recommends that all federal Offices of Civil Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission improve Title VI and Title VII enforcement against religious discrimination, including anti-Semitism, by establishing a set, expedited timeline for the investigation and prosecution of credible allegations of religious discrimination, including anti-Semitism, and, as appropriate, tie future federal funding to prompt remediation."

Commissioners also presented the report to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on June 26.

Interfaith Alliance, which was among a multifaith group of organizations that sued Trump's administration over the commission in February, described the draft report as partisan and reflective of a "narrow, Christian nationalist worldview of the illegitimate commission, made up entirely of ideologically aligned Christians and one Orthodox Jew" in a June 26 news release.

"A betrayal of the original intention of the promise of religious freedom guaranteed in the First Amendment, the report and the commission behind it fail to represent and uplift the importance of religious diversity and tolerance for all faiths in our country – not just a special, chosen few," the Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, Interfaith Alliance's president and CEO, said.

The organization, along with the Center for American Progress, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Humanist Association, released their own report entitled "Religious Liberty for All: Celebrating This Founding Freedom at America 250," on June 15. The report said it reflects "diverse voices in an expression of interfaith solidarity and democratic responsibility" and "presents a clear and compelling alternative to the Trump administration's Religious Liberty Commission."

Members of the public can submit comments on the Religious Liberty Commission's draft report through July 12.

Commission has been controversial throughout its existence

Trump established the commission through a May 2025 executive order that said Americans "need to be reacquainted with our nation's superb experiment in religious freedom in order to preserve it against emerging threats."

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was appointed as the commission's chairman, with Dr. Ben Carson serving as vice chair. Other members include the Rev. Franklin Graham and pastor Paula White, who leads the White House Faith Office.

The commission held several public hearings at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, touching on topics including religious liberty in public education and antisemitism.

The commission has stoked controversy throughout its existence.

Several attendees walked out of its first hearing during then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's remarks in June 2025. She vowed to "preserve (religious freedom) against emerging threats" and asserted the Trump administration's belief that the federal government "became complicit in sheltering these threats, becoming the greatest threat itself."

Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons of Interfaith Alliance, who was among the group that walked out, told USA TODAY at the time he found Bondi's comments to be "very extreme."

"To see the attorney general use her short remarks to just act aggrieved was disturbing, but expected," he said.

Interfaith Alliance's lawsuit alleged that the commission violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act, a law that requires such groups to be "fairly balanced in terms of the points of view represented."

Carrie Prejean Boller was removed from the commission following its February hearing on antisemitism. In an interview with USA TODAY, she alleged that her firing was retaliation for her public statements about Israel that did not align with the Trump administration's positions.

Prejean Boller said that Patrick told her at one point, "Your job on this commission is to protect the president."

The White House, the Department of Justice and Patrick's office did not return USA TODAY's requests for comment on the matter at the time.

BrieAnna Frank is a First Amendment reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at bjfrank@usatoday.com.

USA TODAY's coverage of First Amendment issues is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Controversial Trump religious liberty commission releases report

Reporting by BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published June 26, 2026 at 7:18 PM.