A decades-old nonprofit organization has sued the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Labor (DOL) for not responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests pertaining to what they claim is “how the federal government is advancing Christian nationalism.”
Americans United (AU) for Separation of Church and State, a religious freedom advocacy organization founded in 1947 that advocates for the disassociation of religion from government, filed the lawsuits on Monday in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C. The litigation stems from FOIA requests made in December 2025, calling on DOD and DOL to provide public records related to the planning and hosting of the departments’ Christian prayer services that have been customary dating back to May 2025.
In particular, AU is seeking records that document communications with department employees, contractors and other agencies; costs related to putting on such events; the amount of time department employees spent coordinating them; invited speakers and guests; transcripts or recordings; and any complaints from employees relating to the prayer services.
“The federal government’s role is to serve the public, not to proselytize,” Americans United President and CEO Rachel Laser said in a statement shared with Military.com. “Secretaries Hegseth and Chavez-DeRemer are abusing the power of their government positions and taxpayer-funded resources to impose their preferred religion on federal workers.
“Even if these prayer services are presented as voluntary, there is pressure on federal employees to attend in order to appease their bosses—especially since these services occur amidst the Trump administration’s campaign to punish anyone who doesn’t comply with its Christian nationalist agenda.”
When reached for comment, a Pentagon spokesperson deferred comment to the Department of Justice. Both the DOJ and DOL did not respond to inquiries from Military.com.
These are the fourth and fifth FOIA-related lawsuits filed against federal agencies. AU previously sued the Departments of Health and Human Services, State and Veterans Affairs to understand the intent and implementation of President Donald Trump’s February 2025 executive order regarding purported anti-Christian bias. Those lawsuits are ongoing.
10 Months of Christian Prayer Services in the Pentagon
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began monthly Pentagon Christian prayer services last May, inviting DOD employees and even defense contractors to the Pentagon auditorium. Others who cannot not be present can view the services live on DOD’s internal TV network.
The initial service included Hegseth opening with a Christian prayer and voiced his belief that the nation needed to be “in prayer, on bended knee recognizing the providence of our lord and savior Jesus Christ.” The secretary’s pastor, Brooks Potteiger, was the first to take the pulpit.
In December 2025, evangelist Franklin Graham led a Christmas-themed service in which he said: “We know that God loves. But did you know that God also hates? Do you know that God also is a God of war?”
In the months since, the services continue and have featured controversial pastors like Doug Wilson—a theologian and pastor at Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, whose views pertaining to slavery, same-sex marriage, and women being able to vote have been scrutinized even within some religious circles.
Hegseth has invoked Christian scripture into Pentagon briefings pertaining to the ongoing military operation in Iran.
However, the Pentagon has remained steadfast in its continuation of these monthly services. Spokesperson Kingsley Wilson previously told Military.com: "Despite the Left's efforts to remove our Christian heritage from our great nation, Secretary Hegseth is among those who embrace it.”
This month’s prayer service was supposed to take place last week, but was rescheduled to Tuesday, March 24. The guest speaker, according to Pentagon correspondence obtained by Military.com, is VA Secretary Doug Collins.
DOL Emulates DOD
On the DOL side, AU has similar questions for Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer who has expressed inspiration from Hegseth and DOD for starting their own service.
According to the lawsuit, DOL held its first Christian prayer service—dubbed “the Secretary’s Prayer Service”—on Dec. 10, 2025.
According to AU, Chavez-DeRemer openly spoke of her Catholic faith and said, “As we celebrate 250 years in 2026, [this country] will probably need a little more prayer.”
Several others, including other leaders in the DOL, reportedly offered Christian prayers. The only non-Christian speaker was an Orthodox rabbi who espoused anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion sentiments.
The DOL service has continued every month since.
