The Trump administration is as soon as once more blurring the road between church and state—this time by turning the State Division right into a Christian grievance hotline.
In response to Politico, division workers have been instructed to report their colleagues for any perceived “anti-Christian bias” as a part of a sweeping new initiative tied to an government order geared toward “protecting” Christian federal employees. The division even created a proper tip type, encouraging staff to snitch on each other anonymously.
The directions are clear: Give names, dates, and areas of the alleged bias, with a job power set to fulfill on April 22 to evaluation the “evidence.” The purpose? To gather examples of non secular discrimination underneath the Biden administration, as a result of nothing says “freedom of religion” fairly like your coworkers quietly documenting your each transfer for a federal job power.
In response to The Guardian, examples of “bias” embody “mistreatment for opposing displays of flags, banners or other paraphernalia,” a not-so-subtle reference to Delight flags at U.S. embassies. Staff are additionally inspired to report repercussions for refusing to take part in occasions that “promote themes inconsistent with or hostile to one’s religious beliefs.”
The directive was despatched to U.S. embassies worldwide underneath Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s title—a curious transfer, provided that Rubio has reportedly clashed with different Trump officers, significantly co-president Elon Musk. He additionally acquired warmth for not firing sufficient State Division staff whereas Musk hacked away at the remainder of the federal workforce. This newest stunt might be Rubio’s try at clawing again favor in Trumpland.
The tip type isn’t delicate, and neither is the agenda. As soon as tasked with selling democracy overseas, the State Division now moonlights as a surveillance arm of President Donald Trump’s evangelical safety racket.
Trump, for his half, has made it abundantly clear that he solely cares about defending one faith. In March, he accused Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer of “not being Jewish anymore,” saying he had “become a Palestinian.” It was a part of an extended sample of alienating Jews, Muslims, and different non secular minorities whereas positioning Christians as a persecuted class in want of federal safeguards.
Christian nationalism is clearly ascendant in Trump’s America, however only a few People subscribe to that ideology. A February Pew Analysis Heart survey discovered that solely 18% of adults say being Christian is “very important” to being American. Whereas 58% of U.S. adults establish as Christian, most don’t fall into the Christian nationalist camp, so this effort to “protect” them seems to be extra like political theater than severe coverage.
Nonetheless, Trump’s February government order launched a “task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias,” regardless of Christian conservatives already holding monumental sway in authorities. The State Division initiative looks as if simply one other transfer to pander to the bottom.
The Interfaith Alliance informed Politico that it’s nervous the initiative could declare to fight anti-Christian stigma—particularly towards Catholics—however in actuality, “it will weaponize a narrow understanding of religious freedom to legitimize discrimination against marginalized groups like the LGBTQ community.”
One State Division official, in the meantime, informed Politico the entire thing felt “very ‘Handmaid’s Tale’-esque.”
And so they’re not improper. This isn’t about non secular liberty; it’s about weaponizing faith to police speech, silence dissent, and entrench Trump’s tradition warfare politics deeper into the federal paperwork.
