Administration Takes Action to Protect Religious Freedom for Business Leaders & Federal Employees

by Maaike Duininck and Jayla Ward • 4 minutes

The Trump administration is taking important steps to protect religious freedom for federal employees and faith-based business leaders.

The White House recently hosted its inaugural Summit of Faith and Business Leaders. The event involved more than 60 CEOs and business leaders, as well as U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Small Business Administration administrator Kelly Loeffler.

President Trump delivered a speech discussing the integral role that religious freedom has played for American entrepreneurs.

“Today, we celebrate the core values that built this country: freedom, hard work, risk-taking & above all, trust in almighty God,” he said. “From the earliest days of our republic, the steady compass of faith has guided the strong hands of American workers, builders and entrepreneurs like really no other.”

The President named notable business leaders who were led by their faith, ranging from John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil to Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A. He said this “proud tradition continues with all of you.”

“This group reminds us a nation that prays is a nation that prospers,” he added. “We have to bring religion back into the country, and we’re starting to do that, I think, at a very high level.”

White House Faith Office Senior Advisor Paula White emphasized that people “of faith who are entrusted with wealth and influence, as you are, are essential to building a stronger, freer and more compassionate nation.”

“We believe that God is raising up business leaders who don’t separate faith from enterprise,” she said, “but who see their platforms and their pulpits as their businesses and instruments for eternal impact.”

The Summit and the administration’s support for business leaders of faith comes at a crucial moment. Business owners are being attacked and punished for running their businesses consistent with their religious beliefs.

This includes First Liberty clients Aaron and Melissa Klein and their family business, Sweet Cakes by Melissa. Because of the Klein’s religious convictions, they declined to create a custom cake to celebrate a same-sex wedding. They wanted to operate their bakery in accordance with their faith.

The state of Oregon hit them with a. six-figure fine, and the Kleins were eventually forced to close their shop. They endured harassment and death threats. Aaron and Melissa have been fighting their case for 10 years.

Government Agencies Commit to Protecting Faith-Based Companies

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently launched its Center for Faith. According to a statement, it’s purpose is to “empower faith-based businesses, community organizations and houses of worship with access to capital, counselling and government contracting opportunities.”

The SBA is committed to “ending federal discrimination against religious entities.” It plans to do that by eliminating harmful regulations that banned faith-based organizations from receiving SBA disaster loans. They stressed that the previous administration’s regulations were unconstitutional and need to be rescinded.

“We are thrilled to announce our first-ever Center for Faith at the SBA to improve access to agency resources for the faith community, ensuring that all SBA programs are accessible to eligible Americans regardless of their religious affiliation,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. “We are proud to uphold the principles of religious freedom that our nation was founded on – and look forward to forging lasting relationships that bring new small businesses into the SBA ecosystem.”

This initiative is not exclusive to SBA. Other executive agencies have established centers for faith, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

First Directive: Protect Religious Freedom Across the Federal Government

Among his first actions as head of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Scott Kupor issued two memos aimed at reinforcing the religious liberty rights of federal employees.

On Monday, Kupor issued guidance titled “Protecting Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace.” Federal agencies are required by law to respect the religious expression of federal workers, which includes displaying Bibles, crucifixes or mezuzahs on their desks; praying in groups while off-duty; inviting colleagues to church; and speaking about their religious beliefs, without fear of reprisal.

Last month, Kupor also issued guidance highlighting that employers, including the federal government, must accommodate employees that have religious beliefs or practices that may conflict with the requirements of the workplace.

His memo emphasized that “it is in the interest of the Federal government to recruit and

retain highly-qualified employees of faith.”

This new guidance reaffirms the federal government’s commitment to making sure that individuals of all faiths can work in an environment that does not compromise their religious convictions.

The OPM’s new guidelines cite the precedents set in the First Liberty Supreme Court victories in Groff v. DeJoy and Kennedy v. Bremerton School District.

In our landmark victory for Coach Joe Kennedy, the Supreme Court held that private speech, even if occurring on government property, is doubly protected by the Free Exercise and Free Speech clauses of the First Amendment. That means government cannot censor private religious expression.

In First Liberty’s Faithful Carrier Case involving postal worker Gerald Groff, the Supreme Court strengthened legal protections for people of faith at work by setting a very high bar for employers concerning religious accommodations.

Kupor makes note of this, explaining that the only reason employers can deny an accommodation is if it causes significant extra costs for their business. He also goes on to say that, “employers may not deny requests based on minor inconveniences.”

The Trump administration’s posture and actions toward protecting religious liberty are monumental. With the U.S. set to celebrate its 250th birthday next year, it is so timely that the federal government is making significant advances to protect the freedom that started it all.