VA Secretary Doug Collins this week sent a rare department-wide email requesting employees to report any allegations of “anti-Christian discrimination" among their colleagues. The email, which was reviewed by The Associated Press, asks for “names, dates, and locations” of any alleged incidents to be reported to an internal email address. The Guardian first reported the email.
President Trump has launched a government-wide task force aimed at rooting out any bias against Christians, who are by far the largest faith group in the UNited States and hold significant political power. The two-year task force, chaired by Attorney General Pam Bondi and composed of Cabinet and other government representatives, is supposed to “identify any unlawful anti-Christian” actions under the Biden administration, change any objectionable policies and recommend steps to rectify any past failures.
The email from Collins instructs employees to report any incidents of “anti-Christian discrimination” including “adverse responses to requests for religious exemption under the previous vaccine mandates,” reprimands for displaying Christian imagery or symbols, “unofficial understandings hostile to Christian views" and retaliation of threats for abstaining from procedures like abortions or hormone therapy for people claiming a gender opposite of their biological reality. Other federal agencies, including the Department of State, are setting up similar internal reporting hotlines.
