Press Release
Interfaith Alliance Leads Faith Organizations Denouncing Trump’s Assault on Civil Service
Interfaith Alliance, a national leader in defending religious freedom and multi-faith democracy, and 18 other faith organizations have sent a letter to President Trump and Vice President Vance, calling their administration to account for undermining our nation’s civil service and weaponizing the government against the American people. These faith groups are united in protecting our democracy and the critical services benefiting the American people.
Since taking office, Trump has launched a series of attacks on the federal workforce, including reviving the harmful “Schedule F” to replace tens of thousands of nonpartisan federal employees with partisan loyalists. He also rescinded President Biden’s Executive Order aimed at advancing racial equity and supporting underserved communities through the federal government, weaponized the Office of Federal Contract Compliance, and rolled back Executive Order 11246, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin in federal contracting.
The letter reads, “As diverse faith-based organizations, we are deeply concerned by your administration’s efforts to undermine our nation’s civil service and weaponize the government against the American people. We are united in our commitment to democracy and protecting the critical services benefiting the American people.”
The letter continues, “As faith-based organizations, we are adding our voices in support of a strong civil service and civil society and in support of all efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Faith-based organizations were instrumental in advocating for the civil rights laws of the 1960s and we will not be silent about your administration’s weaponization of the federal government to dismantle civil rights protections.”
“Faith communities across our country believe in the importance of diverse, multi-faith democracy and equal treatment under the law,” said Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance. “As the Trump administration rolls back decades of critical civil rights protections, they should expect faith leaders and congregations to challenge their divisive and unjust agenda at every turn.”
The letter led by Interfaith Alliance was signed by 19 organizations including Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, Faith in Democracy, Faithful America, Freedom Road, LLC, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Hindus for Human Rights, Interfaith Alliance, Keshet, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Middle Collegiate Church, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness, Sojourners, The Sikh Coalition, The United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society, T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, Union for Reform Judaism, and Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice.
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Interfaith Alliance Applauds Court Ruling Protecting Houses of Worship from Partisan Politics
Interfaith Alliance is a leading advocate for multi-faith democracy and healthy boundaries between religion and government. It was among the founding organizations of a national sign-on letter, joined by more than 1,800 nonprofit organizations, voicing opposition to the proposed settlement agreement in National Religious Broadcasters v. Bessent, a case in which the Trump administration and a coalition of religious broadcasters sought to create an effective exemption to the Johnson Amendment, the 70-year-old law that bars 501(c)(3) organizations, including houses of worship, from endorsing or opposing political candidates. Had the settlement been approved, religious leaders would have been able to make partisan endorsements from the pulpit without risking their tax-exempt status. Today, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas dismissed the case, finding it lacked jurisdiction.
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Interfaith Alliance, Major Faith Leaders Hold Virtual Town Hall to Build on “No Kings” Momentum
Interfaith Alliance, a leading advocate for religious freedom and multi-faith democracy. will host the National Interfaith Town Hall: Building Momentum from No Kings on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET.