One-third of Americans support Christian nationalism, report shows
A new report finds that about 3 in 10 Americans support or identify with Christian nationalism, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.
- The National Federation of Federal Employees and several USDA employees sued the department on May 13, accusing Secretary Brooke Rollins of illegally converting workers.
- The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, cited several emails that allegedly explicitly referenced Christian beliefs.
- Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Democracy Forward and Brian Schwartz Law, PC represent the union and USDA employees.
On May 13, a federal employee union filed a lawsuit against the USDA, in part on First Amendment grounds, alleging that USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins illegally converted USDA employees.
According to a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the National Federation of Federal Employees, which represents more than 100,000 federal employees across various agencies and several USDA employees, accused Rollins of “sending increasingly proselytizing communications throughout the USDA workforce and employing the practice of promoting his preferred Christian faith and theology to a captive audience of his direct employees.”
According to the complaint, Rollins has sent numerous religious emails to USDA employees since becoming secretary in February 2025, including an Independence Day email asking for God’s protection and favor on the United States. It also referred to a Christmas email in which Rollins reportedly said in part, “God has given us the greatest gift possible: His Son and Savior, Jesus Christ, who came to free us from sin and open the door to eternal life.”
The issue “culminated” in an email Rollins sent on Easter Sunday in early April that characterized the religious holiday as “the greatest story ever told, the foundation of our faith and the eternal hope of all humanity,” according to the complaint.
The email mentions “the very real trials and tribulations we face,” but also says “fear, guilt, and death are not the final word.”
“Just like the first disciples who met the risen Lord in the Upper Room nearly 2,000 years ago, this Easter allows us to live in hope, filled with the joy of the Passover, and confident in the calling of each of us,” according to the lawsuit.
The complaint alleged that the emails violated the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from “respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” and the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs how federal agencies develop regulations and procedures.
“While we do not comment on pending litigation, we will keep plaintiffs in our prayers during this proceeding,” a USDA spokesperson told USA TODAY on May 13.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Democracy Forward and Brian Schwartz Law, PC represent the union and USDA employees. Both Rollins and the department are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
The problem spans the federal government, says union president.
According to a May 13 news release from the American Coalition for the Separation of Church and State on the issue, plaintiff Ethan Roberts, a Department of Agriculture employee, said the alleged messages made him feel “unwelcome.”
“We work for the federal government, not the church,” Roberts said. “I just want to go to work and make the country better. I don’t have to suffer through sermons and other religious messages imposed on me by the heads of federal agencies.”
Randy Irwin, the union’s national president, said employees across the federal government have expressed similar concerns.
“Every government agency feels that this is the epicenter of a new outbreak of Christian nationalism,” Irwin said. “We just want to do our jobs without proselytizing or dodging preaching. It’s a fundamental American freedom, and it’s not something we should be going to court to secure.”
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, accused the Trump administration of waging a “relentless and increasingly brazen campaign against the separation of church and state and the religious freedom of federal employees.”
“Trump is not Jesus, federal agencies are not the church, and cabinet members are not government preachers,” Laser said.
The complaint asks the court to declare the alleged messages to be in violation of the Establishment Clause and the Administrative Procedure Act, and to prohibit Rollins and the department from “continuing to send or communicate Christian messages encouraging conversion to USDA employees.”
Breanna Frank is USA TODAY’s First Amendment reporter. please contact her bjfrank@usatoday.com.
USA TODAY’s coverage of First Amendment issues is funded by the Freedom Forum in collaboration with our journalism funding partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
