Trump Religious Liberty Commission Finalizes Recommendations After April Meeting

The Religious Liberty Commission formed by President Donald Trump in 2025 is preparing its final report after more than a year of hearings. Commissioners outlined their recommendations during the panel's most recent meeting in April 2026. There was little dissent as they discussed the items they want included.

One commissioner called for a Presidential Medal of Freedom for a baker who refused to create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. Another called for Department of Justice court interventions on behalf of Amish parents fighting New York vaccine requirements.

A third called for similar interventions on behalf of Catholic nuns challenging New York’s requirement that they accommodate hospice patients’ gender identities.

At the April meeting, Patrick said, “We need to say there is no separation of church and state. ” He suggested printing “a million bumper stickers” saying there is no separation of church and state. The commissioners’ recommendations include increasing avenues for religious expression in public schools, expanding opportunities for faith-based organizations to receive public money, and allowing religious-based exemptions in labor law, classroom lessons, and healthcare mandates.

Most commissioners were drawn from Trump’s base of conservative Christian supporters. Most are conservative Christian clerics and commentators, though one is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi. Kelly Shackelford, president and chief executive officer of First Liberty Institute, called for new requirements that governments pay all legal bills if they lose a religious liberty case.

Bishop Robert Barron of the Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, called for enabling religious groups such as Catholic Charities to receive federal money without compromising on traditional church teachings about the family. President Donald Trump said at a prayer event at the White House in 2025: “They say separation between church and state.

” Commission meetings mostly took place at the Museum of the Bible in Washington.

A progressive interreligious coalition filed a lawsuit arguing the commission fails to comply with federal law requiring advisory panels to feature diverse members and viewpoints. The Republican administration asked a federal court to dismiss the lawsuit. The government contends the law does not define how a commission should be fairly balanced.

Carrie Prejean Boller was ousted from the commission in February 2026. Dan Patrick said Carrie Prejean Boller sought to “hijack” the hearing on antisemitism. Prejean Boller is a Catholic. The Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias issued a report saying Christians faced discrimination under former President Joe Biden in education, tax law, and prosecution of anti-abortion protesters.

Several members of the Religious Liberty Commission are scheduled to take part in a May 17 prayer event marking the country’s upcoming 250th birthday. ABC News reported that the commission has also heard from some Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and other witnesses even as critics said it mostly focused on conservative Christian and right-leaning political grievances.