Washington, April 30
A Trump administration task force has released a report alleging widespread anti-Christian bias across the federal government during the presidency of Joe Biden, citing law enforcement actions, regulatory policies, and workplace practices.
The report, coordinated by the Justice Department and based on findings from 17 agencies, says the Biden administration's policies and actions "demonstrated anti-Christian bias" and burdened religious freedom.
"No American should live in fear that the federal government will punish them for their faith," Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who chaired the task force, said.
The document argues that conflicts between federal policy goals and religious beliefs frequently arose on issues such as abortion, gender identity, and sexual orientation, affecting what it calls "matters of deep personal importance."
It alleges that federal agencies used policy and regulatory measures to advance priorities that weakened protections for religious Americans, even when efforts to change federal law failed.
The report highlights law enforcement actions, claiming the Justice Department pursued aggressive prosecutions against some Christian groups while overlooking other cases. It also cites investigations by the FBI into certain Catholic communities and the Internal Revenue Service's scrutiny of churches and religious organisations.
In the workplace, the report points to handling of Covid-19 vaccine mandates, saying requests for religious exemptions were often denied or left unresolved, leading to adverse employment consequences for some federal workers.
It also flags bias in education, public programmes, and outreach. The report says Christian groups were sometimes underrepresented in federal engagement efforts.
The document lists steps taken by the Trump administration to reverse these policies. These include rescinding earlier directives and issuing new guidance on religious liberty.
The report was prepared under Executive Order 14202. The order was signed in February 2025. It directed agencies to review possible discrimination against Christians.
The findings come as debate continues in the United States. The issue is how to balance religious freedom and anti-discrimination laws.
The First Amendment protects the free exercise of religion. Courts have increasingly been asked to interpret these rights in recent years.
- IANS
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