Washington, D.C. – Democracy Forward and Interfaith Alliance, a nationwide network of people of diverse faiths who champion civil rights and healthy boundaries between government and religion, today filed a lawsuit to force the release of documents related to President Trump’s so-called “Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias.” The Task Force was announced as part of a February 6, 2025, executive order titled “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias,” and the Trump-Vance administration has unlawfully withheld documents regarding the effort requested through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) earlier this year. 

The Task Force was charged with reviewing all federal departments and agencies for so-called “anti-Christian bias” and recommending actions for the president to help him “rectify past injustices of anti-Christian conduct.” The Task Force was asked to submit reports after 120 days, after a year, and upon the task force’s dissolution in two years. There has been no evidence of widespread anti-Christian bias in the United States and experts have found that perpetuating this myth is deeply offensive to the actual persecution of Christians around the world. 

Earlier this year, Democracy Forward and Interfaith Alliance filed FOIA requests with the U.S. Departments of Justice, State, and Veterans Affairs, seeking more information about the Task Force, as well as the Trump-Vance administration’s implementation of the executive order. Though the respective agencies acknowledged receipt of the request, they did not produce the requested public documents in the time required by law. 

“Our nation was founded on the ability of people to believe as they choose, and worship or not worship as they choose. The Trump-Vance administration has been endangering these freedoms with a retributive agenda that relies on false narratives and inaccessible assertions. There is no basis for the administration’s assertions of ‘anti-Christian bias’ in the federal government and it appears this task force is an attempt to target free speech and those the administration disagrees with,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward.* “When our government operates in the shadows, it threatens us all. Democracy Forward is honored to represent Interfaith Alliance to investigate this task force and hold the government accountable as they threaten the freedom of religion in America.”

“The Trump administration’s ‘anti-Christian bias’ task force clearly violates the founders’ vision of a government without an official religion,” said Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, President & CEO of Interfaith Alliance Foundation. “The federal government should uphold fundamental religious freedom and dignity for all Americans, regardless of their faiths and beliefs. Instead, it is systematically dismantling programs and laws designed to prevent discrimination and promote diversity and equality. The reality is this: Christians and other faith communities don’t need President Trump’s protection – they need protection from Trump’s attacks on religious freedom.”

In May, Interfaith Alliance organized a letter from prominent Christian leaders who denounced the creation of The Task Force. They referenced how the administration itself may now serve as the most prominent source of anti-Christian bias in the United States today.  “We have already seen that any Christian who steps out of line with this administration will be targeted, which greatly diminishes how we can follow Christ,” the letter states. 

The initial Freedom of Information Act request can be seen here, letters requesting records relating to the meetings and work of the Task Force are here. 

Read the full complaint filed today here.

*Perryman also serves as a member of the Board of Interfaith Alliance.  

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Democracy Forward is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.