USDA Issues Guidance to Protect Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace

Washington, D.C., Nov. 20, 2025 — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced new guidance (PDF, 236 KB) surrounding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) commitment to protecting faith and religious expression and accommodation rights in the federal workplace.

“From the very beginning, America has recognized the freedom of religion as the bedrock principle of our Republic. It is no accident that the First Amendment protects the free exercise of faith alongside the freedoms of speech and assembly. At this pivotal moment in our nation’s history, we must preserve religious liberty, not only as a constitutional guarantee, but also as a safeguard for every other freedom we hold dear,” said Secretary Rollins. “By protecting the right of every American to live out their faith and express religiously inspired ideas in public and in the workplace without fear, we are defending the very foundation of American liberty for this generation and the next. I thank President Trump for his bold leadership in restoring America’s constitutional heritage of religious liberty across the public sphere and the federal government.”

The memorandum aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order 14291 – Establishment of the Religious Liberty Commission, which directs federal agencies to vigorously enforce protections for religious expression under federal law. USDA’s updated guidance ensures that employees can live out their faith without fear of retaliation, while maintaining a respectful and effective workplace across all mission areas.

This aligns with recent Supreme Court decisions that clarify the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty, consistent with President Trump’s directive to enforce the original constitutional meaning of religious liberty.

Under Secretary Rollins' leadership, USDA has:

• Rescinded the Biden Administration’s policy that tried to require federally funded food and nutrition service programs to redefine discrimination by reason of “sex” under federal law as not based on just male or female, but also “gender identity.” The policy was used against children from religious schools who were threatened with exclusion from USDA’s National School Lunch Program if they did not accept the Biden administration’s interpretation.
• Issued a statement reaffirming USDA’s commitment to uphold the American People’s right to religious liberty, including religious free expression, and setting my expectation that all USDA employees serve the public with full recognition of the constitutional protection given to religious exercise. Under an Obama Administration policy, USDA previously threatened to shut down a meat inspection plant because of religious material that federal inspectors found in an employee breakroom.
• Initiated an internal USDA review to align guidance with America’s historic understanding of religious liberty embodied in the Constitution which permits Americans to live out their faith in daily life and in the public square.
• Following the lead of the Office of Personnel Management, issued guidance to all USDA employees and supervisors clarifying protections for religious expression by the USDA workforce at the workplace.
• Hosted “Faith and Fellowship” night at the Great American Farmer’s market on the National Mall recognizing the historic connection in America’s heartland between faith and agriculture.

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