Rep. Riley Moore ‘Mandates’ VA to Ensure Religious Freedom for Catholics

Nearly one in five veterans who serve our country are Catholic, yet the Department of Veterans Affairs does not grant them the option to display the crucifix on their headstones when buried at national cemeteries—but this is about to change.

With strong Catholic members on the House Appropriations Committee, this will soon be mandated by a 2027 military spending plan.

Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., a devout Catholic, successfully added an amendment to the draft 2027 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill to ensure that Catholic veterans’ inalienable right to religious liberty is protected.

Moore told The Daily Signal that this amendment will “mandate [Veterans Affairs] to have the crucifix option on headstones.”

Veterans and their next of kin are currently given the option to pick from more than 100 symbols of many different faiths, including Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and different denominations of Christianity. Atheists, pagans, and humanists even have eligible emblems to choose from. But not the veterans who are Catholic.

Moore told The Daily Signal he has no idea how this has gone on for so long. “I’m not sure why some of us who are Catholic had not been made aware of this previously. I mean, this is ridiculous,” Moore said.

“I’m not going to stop until it gets fixed—and it’s going to get fixed. I mean, we got it in the bill, and there’s this letter as well. But this is just right,” he concluded.

Moore noted that even Ranking Member Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who was raised Catholic, voted for and supported his amendment, which passed out of committee.

“Had to give her credit as the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee. She obviously was raised Catholic, as well. So, yeah, I mean, this just made sense to everybody,” Moore continued.

Moore expects the bill and the amendment to also pass the House.

The amendment text states that the committee is concerned about the crucifix not being an option and “supports providing a complete and inclusive set of emblem options.”

“The Committee directs the VA, in coordination with the National Cemetery Administration, to approve the crucifix as an eligible emblem of belief for inscription on headstones and markers in national cemeteries not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act,” the amendment reads.

It continues by directing the VA to notify the House and Senate appropriations committees as soon as this is completed.

This effort from Moore was prompted by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., bringing together 45 bipartisan members of Congress to bring this issue to Veteran Affairs Secretary Douglas A. Collins.

“Our veterans made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country, and they deserve to be honored in a way that reflects their deeply held beliefs,” Steube said. “Catholic veterans should not be denied the ability to have a crucifix on their headstones while other belief systems are represented.”