Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission Meets To Discuss Faith Policies

The Religious Liberty Commission met Monday for the first time at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., to discuss faith policies. The Commission was presided over by Chairman and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Vice Chairman Dr. Ben Carson.

The commission was first established back in May by an executive order from President Trump. The executive order commissioned a panel of professionals and public religious figures under the Department of Justice and Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who spoke at this first meeting.

Some notable members of the commission include Catholic Bishop Robert Barron, the founder of Word on Fire Ministry, and Pastor Paula White, the senior advisor to the White House Faith Office. Pastor Franklin Graham, a well-known Evangelical minister, Dr. Phil McGraw, host of the “Dr. Phil” talk show, and Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, a premier Orthodox rabbi based in Manhattan, also serve on the commission.

The commission will run until July 4th, 2026, unless extended by Trump. Over the next year, the commission will meet periodically to hear the testimonies of prominent legal scholars and religious leaders.

Patrick began the meeting by restating the commission’s purpose, as laid out in its charter. The purpose, he said, was “to advise and to report to the president” their findings on the treatment of religion in America.

Carson, who has previously served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the first Trump administration, stated that the commission’s goal is to promote spirituality among Americans.

“This commission promotes freedom of beliefs and that spiritual aspect of our existence that advances civilization,” Carson said. “We will strive to facilitate the maintenance of one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Kelly Shackelford, a constitutional scholar and member of the commission, remarked that, as the Founders of America believed, the first battle against dictatorial power would be fought on the grounds of religious freedom. Religious freedom, he said, is the “precipice of all of our freedoms.”

Paula White, a member of the commission, leads the first White House Faith Office for the president. White commented, “The Commission will focus on long-term strategies to secure religious freedom for future generations. We will gather data, conduct legal analysis, hold public hearings to capture the stories of everyday Americans related to religious liberty.”

Later in the meeting, Attorney General Pam Bondi commented on the Trump administration’s stance toward religious liberty.

“From the start, the United States of America was envisioned as a place where religious liberty meant the freedom to discern good from evil without the heavy hand of the government weighing in,” she said.

Bondi condemned the arrests of pro-life Christians, those who blocked access to synagogues in antisemitic protests, the prosecution of church gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Biden administration’s declaration of a transgender day of visibility on Easter in 2024, as well as other anti-religious acts.

Bondi added, “This president and this administration are fully committed to restoring and defending religious liberty for all Americans. The Religious Liberty Commission will be the tip of the spear. Together we will return America to the vision of our Founders – a nation where faith merely isn’t tolerated but it’s embraced and celebrated.”