The Department of Veterans Affairs told employees Tuesday it was creating a task force on “anti-Christian discrimination” and urged them to report any such incidents involving co-workers over a tip line.
The program at the VA is part of a broader effort by the administration to portray anti-Christian sentiment as somehow rampant under President Donald Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, a practicing Catholic. Trump signed an the requirement following a long court fight over its legality. The mandate included religious and medical exemptions.
The VA memo went to employees throughout the agency’s system, according to the email viewed by HuffPost. It was first reported by the Federal News Network.
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The memo comes at a time when employees throughout the federal government feel they’re being watched closely and their jobs are on the line. The administration has tried to fire tens of thousands of workers through legally dubious mass terminations and is developing plans for more large-scale “reductions in force.” Many federal workers have chosen to accept deferred resignation offers rather than face more upheaval and uncertainty.
Do you work at the VA or another federal agency? You can email our reporter or contact him on Signal at davejamieson.99.
The State Department recently created a similar “anti-Christian bias” task force and encouraged workers to report one another, Politico reported last week. One State employee described it to the outlet as “very ‘Handmaid’s Tale’-esque.”
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Similar task forces could be coming to other agencies as well.
On Tuesday, Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, hosted a meeting at the Justice Department that brought together several Cabinet heads to discuss alleged “anti-Christian bias” within the federal government. Bondi echoed Trump’s claims of “an egregious pattern” of discrimination under Trump’s predecessor.
While these task forces allege anti-discrimination within federal agencies, Trump’s claims of bias under Biden revolve around criminal prosecutions and regulatory policies. He has bemoaned the criminal charges brought against pro-life activists who blocked entrances to abortion clinics, and criticized the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under Biden for pursuing discrimination cases on behalf of transgender workers.
His lengthy February announcement on “eradicating anti-Christian bias” made no allegations of federal workers being punished or retaliated against for their Christian views. Instead, it claimed Biden’s Justice Department pursued criminal cases against “peaceful Christians” while “ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses.”
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Correction: The original story included an incorrect email address for reporting alleged anti-Christian bias.
