President accepts commission report urging federal guidance and other measures to protect religious exercise

The President received the Presidential Commission on Religious Liberty’s report and thanked commissioners for their work, describing the panel’s recommendations as a roadmap for strengthening religious‑exercise protections.

Commission Chairman Dan Patrick said the commission gathered testimony from 103 witnesses over seven months and compiled roughly 200 pages of evidence. "The overwhelming majority of our witnesses said that they were attacked and punished," Patrick said, and he argued that the phrase "separation of church and state" has been used against religious Americans. Patrick read the first of 12 recommendations, including a call for the Department of Justice to issue guidance clarifying the proper understanding of the Establishment Clause.

Vice Chairman Dr. Ben Carson read the commission’s remaining recommendations, urging federal action to "combat anti‑Semitism through enforcement of civil‑rights laws," to protect religious Americans from government‑led litigation over religious exercise, and to repeal the Johnson Amendment that restricts certain political activity by tax‑exempt organizations. Carson also recommended streamlining religious accommodations for service members, restoring benefits for those who lost employment or pensions over COVID‑related religious objections and creating a presidential medal and awards recognizing "religious liberty heroes."

Other commissioners and attendees described testimony they said showed religious people and institutions facing restrictions in healthcare, education and the military. Commissioner Dr. Phil said many witnesses reported consequences for expressing faith at work or school, including limits on visible religious symbols and on declining vaccinations for religious reasons. Bishop Robert Baron recounted testimony he described as "egregious acts" that inflicted trauma on families, and multiple speakers urged celebrating individuals they called heroes for defending religious liberty.

Vince Haley, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, characterized the report as "a body of evidence" and said the administration will work to publicize and implement certain recommendations. Attorney General Todd Blanch said the report sets up "the next several years" of work and expressed DOJ’s intent to cooperate with the White House on follow‑up steps.

One recommendation highlighted administrative process changes: a commission speaker urged that when a public official cites "separation of church and state" against an individual, the official should provide a written explanation specifying how the person has allegedly violated the Constitution. The speaker also stated—by way of argument—that the phrase "separation of church and state" does not appear in the Constitution and should carry no administrative power on its own.

Reporters asked the President about recent activity involving Iran; the President declined to provide specifics at the briefing, saying repeatedly, "you'll find out," when asked whether the U.S. would respond and whether a ceasefire remained in place.

The event concluded with the President saying attendees would receive copies of the report and that the administration would seek to "sell" the recommendations to other officials and the public. No new rulemaking or formal agency action occurred at the event; commissioners delivered their report and described intended next steps.