Trump administration urges federal workers to talk religion at work

Washington Post

28-07-2025

Federal employees can display religious items at work, pray in groups while not on duty and encourage co-workers to adopt their faith, according to guidance released Monday by the Office of Personnel Management, which manages the federal civilian workforce.
In a memo titled 'Protecting Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace,' OPM Director Scott Kupor said that government employees 'must be allowed to engage in private religious expression in work areas to the same extent that they may engage in nonreligious private expression.'
Kupor outlined various activities that should not warrant disciplinary action, noting that federal employees 'may engage in conversations regarding religious topics with fellow employees, including attempting to persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views, provided that such efforts are not harassing in nature.'
'Employees may also encourage their coworkers to participate in religious expressions of faith, such as prayer, to the same extent that they would be permitted to encourage coworkers participate in other personal activities,' Kupor stated in the memo.
However, agencies may 'reasonably regulate the time, place and manner of all employee speech, provided such regulations do not discriminate based on content or viewpoint (including religious viewpoints),' he added.
The OPM would also not seek to restrict federal employees' expressions of faith in interactions with the public, such as a national park ranger leading a tour group in prayer, or a doctor with the Department of Veterans Affairs praying over a patient for their recovery, Kupor said in the memo.
The guidance builds on the Trump administration's moves to advance faith's presence in the federal workforce. In February, it issued an executive order geared toward 'Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias' and established the White House Faith Office, which aims to bolster the capacity of faith-based organizations' to 'better serve families and communities.'
Then, in mid-July, the OPM released guidance stating that telework could be considered a religious accommodation for some federal employees, including those engaging in fasting or observing religious holidays. Federal workers can also adjust their schedules around time-specific religious practices, such as prayer times, the guidance said.
Employers, including the federal government, are barred from discriminating on religious grounds under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This requires employers to accommodate religious beliefs of major faiths such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Christianity, as well as 'beliefs that are new, uncommon, not part of a formal church or sect, or only held by a small number of people.'