The task force is one of several new religious liberty initiatives Trump announced at the National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 6.
President Donald Trump announced on Feb. 6 that he will establish a Department of Justice (DOJ) task force to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” in the federal government.
Trump announced the move at the Washington Hilton during one of two National Prayer Breakfast events, revealing that he would later sign an executive order appointing Attorney General Pam Bondi as the head of the task force.
“The mission of this task force will be to 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,” Trump said.
He added that the group will “work to fully prosecute” violence and vandalism against Christians and “move heaven and earth to defend the rights of Christians and religious believers nationwide.”
Under the Biden administration, the Justice Department came under fire for prosecuting peaceful pro-life protesters, including some senior citizens, under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Many of those defendants were sentenced to years in prison. Trump pardoned 23 of them within days of entering office.
The FBI also faced backlash over a leaked memo that depicted traditional Catholics as violent extremists and proposed spying on them in their churches. Under the Obama administration, the IRS’s aggressive scrutiny of conservative groups, including Christian organizations, sparked a major scandal.
The Task Force to End the War on Christians will include members of Trump’s Cabinet and relevant federal agencies, according to a White House fact sheet.
Members will review the practices, conduct, and policies of all federal departments and agencies to identify and eliminate any anti-Christian bias. The group will seek input from faith-based organizations and other affected parties to develop recommendations for further action.
“If we don’t have religious liberty, then we don’t have a free country, we probably don’t even have a country,” Trump said.
The president also announced the formation of a new White House Faith Office, led by Pastor Paula White, and a Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty.
