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The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is launching a new task force to investigate claims of anti-Christian discrimination within its ranks, part of a wider Trump administration initiative to prioritize religious freedom—especially for Christians—across federal agencies. VA Secretary Doug Collins sent a department-wide email this week, obtained by The Associated Press, urging employees to report instances of "anti-Christian discrimination." The email requests detailed information, including names, dates, and locations, be submitted to an internal email account.
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins joins host Julie Mason for a SiriusXM Town Hall on April 22, 2025, in Washington, DC. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins joins host Julie Mason for a SiriusXM Town Hall on April 22, 2025, in Washington, DC. AFP/Getty Images Newsweek has reached out to the VA via email on Wednesday afternoon for comment.
Why It Matters The VA's internal task force is being formed amid broader uncertainty within the agency. A planned restructuring could eliminate over 80,000 jobs, prompting unease among staff already grappling with the agency's shifting priorities. What to Know This move coincides with the launch of a government-wide task force — led by Attorney General Pam Bondi — focused on identifying and eliminating anti-Christian bias.
According to Collins, this includes cases involving denial of religious exemptions for vaccine mandates, reprimands over Christian symbols, workplace hostility toward Christian views, and retaliation for refusing to participate in procedures like abortions or hormone therapy. Other agencies, including the State Department, are reportedly establishing similar internal hotlines for reporting religious discrimination. The broader initiative has been lauded by some conservative and Christian advocacy groups as a bold defense of religious liberty.
However, critics warn that the effort risks privileging one faith tradition at the expense of others and undermines the constitutional principle of church-state separation. What People Are Saying President Trump said on Feb. 6, "We will immediately halt all forms of anti-Christian targeting and discrimination within the federal government, including at the DOJ, which was absolutely terrible, the IRS, the FBI — terrible — and other agencies." Attorney General Bondi said this week, "Protecting Christians from bias is not favoritism.
It's upholding the rule of law and fulfilling the constitutional promise [in the First Amendment]." Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said, "All people, including Christians, should be able to live as themselves and believe as they choose so long as they don't harm others. But rather than protecting religious beliefs, this task force will misuse religious freedom to justify bigotry, discrimination, and the subversion of our civil rights laws."
Senator Richard Blumenthal, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, condemned the VA's actions as lacking justification and warned they could fracture the agency's religious neutrality, "Since our nation's birth, veterans have fought and died to preserve our freedoms — including to live free from religious intolerance or interference by government. The First Amendment ensures that all religions and faiths are treated equally, with full freedom of worship. The government should be vigilant never to endorse or favor one religion above others."
What Happens Next The two-year initiative will involve representatives from across the Cabinet and is expected to review agency policies, correct alleged injustices, and issue recommendations to address what the administration claims were discriminatory practices under President Biden's leadership. Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this story. Update: 4/23/25, 7:32 p.m.
ET: This article has been updated with additional information and remarks.
