Religious Liberty

Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Defense (DoD) Acting Inspector General Sean O’Donnell calling on him to release all information related to his office’s investigation into DoD’s refusal to grant servicemembers religious exemptions to DoD’s Covid vaccine mandate. On June 2, 2022, Inspector General O’Donnell’s office reportedly sent Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin a memo raising serious concerns about DoD’s processes for...

Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to immediately redesignate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act. Recent acts of violence targeting Nigerian Christians have underscored the deteriorating state of religious freedom in the country. Joining Senator Hawley's letter are Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.),Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Jim Inhofe...

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) penned a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding answers on why Nigeria was removed from the State Department's list of Countries of Particular Concern under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 and requesting they be placed back on the list.  Senator Hawley was joined by Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Marco Rubio...

Following the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) November 24 decision to rescind the HHS Office of Civil Rights’ authority to affirmatively protect Americans’ conscience rights pursuant to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, Senator Hawley penned a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra demanding he reinstate the protections and provide answers on why the policy was rolled back. “As President Clinton remarked when signing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act...

Today U.S. Senator Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to co-chairs of the Safer Federal Workforce Taskforce – the Office of Personnel Management Director, Kiran Ahuja; General Services Administrator, Robin Carnahan; and Covid-19 Response Coordinator, Jeff Zients – demanding answers on President Biden’s vaccine mandate, which fails to provide adequate safeguards for the sincerely held religious beliefs of federal employees and displays clear contempt for religious liberty. President Biden’s...

U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) demanded Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Chair Charlotte Burrows immediately rescind an extreme, partisan guidance document on employment discrimination. The Senators write the EEOC’s “Protections Against Employment Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity” document promotes a radical interpretation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bostock decision and was issued unilaterally by the Biden-appointed chair, in violation of established procedures.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urging the commission to consider adding Canada to its watch list in response to the country’s crackdown on religious freedom. In the letter, Senator Hawley cites recent instances of Canadian pastors being arrested and jailed for holding worship services that do not comply with strict COVID-19 restrictions.

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced a resolution condemning hatred and violence against Jews, denouncing anti-Israel rhetoric from elected officials and the media, and reaffirming that Jews must be treated with dignity and respect. Senator Hawley’s resolution has received support from the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Family Research Council. It is cosponsored by Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Kennedy (R-La.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Bill Cassidy (R-La.)