They call it a “commission.” We call it a con.

 They call it a “commission.” We call it a con.

• Rachel Laser, AU 

  www.au.org

  From:americansunited@au.org

  
  

  To:Mark M Giese

  Thu, Apr 9 2026 at 9:03 AM

  

  Dear Mark M,  When President Trump said we could “forget about” separation between church and state, he was not being careless. He was being candid. It was a Christian Nationalist call to action as the administration launched its “Religious Liberty Commission” (RLC). It was a dead giveaway of their true purpose: to redefine religious freedom as unchecked privilege for one narrow Christian perspective alone. It's a chilling escalation of the takeover of our government and the crusade to transform our democracy into a theocracy based on Project 2025 and the recently updated Project 2026. Let me be clear – this is the authoritarian agenda in motion: 1 Weaponizing "religious liberty" as a license to discriminate.   2 Abusing the power of the government to impose narrow beliefs on everyone.   3 challenging any effort to stop these abuses as an infringement on their beliefs. That is why Americans United and our allies have filed a federal lawsuit to discredit the Religious Liberty Commission’s agenda. We represent a multifaith coalition to challenge this commission as a violation of federal law. The government has no authority to pick and choose which religious beliefs to promote and which to marginalize. If you agree that the government has no authority to favor one faith over others, donate. Federal law requires commissions like this to be transparent and balanced. The RLC was designed to deliver a predetermined outcome aligned with Project 2025 and Project 2026, sidelining the diverse religious and nonreligious voices that make up this country. Behind the title “Religious Liberty Commission” is a network of Christian Nationalist operatives who have worked for years to erode church-state separation. This is their most coordinated push yet: turning ideology into federal policy in one sweep. That’s how authoritarianism advances.  Religious liberty isn’t partisan. It’s a constitutional promise that protects all of us. And when the government elevates one theology above the rest, it violates both the letter and the spirit of the law. We are taking action now. We are challenging the legality of this commission in court. We are demanding transparency. And we are working alongside a multifaith coalition that reflects what true religious freedom actually looks like in America. This fight is about more than one commission. It is about whether our government remains accountable to the Constitution or becomes a vehicle for a narrow religious agenda. Your support makes it possible for us to pursue this case aggressively and to confront the broader machinery behind it. With hope and determination, Rachel K. Laser President and CEO