The Trump administration issued new guidance July 28, affirming that federal employees may openly express their religious beliefs at work — including praying with others, sharing their faith, and displaying religious symbols in their offices.
In a memo to agency heads, the Office of Personnel Management stated that employees may “persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views” and invite coworkers to religious events, as long as the conduct isn’t harassing.
The agency framed the move as a necessary defense of constitutional freedoms and a safeguard against retaliation for expressing faith.
While the guidance builds on long-standing Labor Department policy, it opens broader avenues for religious practice.
Employees may now keep Bibles, crosses, and other religious items in their workspaces. Supervisors are allowed to post church event flyers on agency bulletin boards. And public-facing officials, including doctors and park rangers, may pray with the public, according to the memo.
The memo also instructs agencies to revise internal policies to reflect the new standards and cites the Supreme Court’s 2023 Groff v. DeJoy decision, which expanded workplace protections for religious accommodation.
CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt praised the move as a win for Catholics and a reaffirmation of America’s founding principles.
“From the very founding of our nation, faith was not relegated to the private sphere but boldly woven into the fabric of public life,” Reinhardt said. “Our greatest leaders understood that religious liberty forms the backbone of a free and virtuous society.”
She pointed to the administration’s recent steps — including an executive order against anti-Christian bias and the launch of the Religious Liberty Commission — as evidence of its commitment.
“For ordinary Catholics serving in government and across the nation,” she said, “these commitments are not mere policy: They are a restoration of our most fundamental freedoms.”
Reinhardt said the guidance empowers Catholics to live “our faith in public” by “displaying sacramentals on our desks, pausing to pray on a busy workday, or thoughtfully sharing the hope that animates us,” which has “always been part of the American promise.”
“The assurance that these expressions will be welcomed and safeguarded in federal workplaces not only honors our history; it reinvigorates the spirit of liberty for every citizen.”
She continued, “Now more than ever, we are called to courage and conviction, emboldened by leaders who recognize that faith and public service are not in conflict, but together strengthen the heart of our democracy.”
