President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order creating a religious liberty commission during a multifaith event in the White House Rose Garden.
Trump installed Texas Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick as chairman of the commission. Ben Carson, the former secretary of Housing and Urban Development during Trump's first term, will also be a member, Trump said, as will TV personality Phil McGraw and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York.
"The last administration attacked people of faith for four years," Patrick said. "There's a saying that no one should get between a doctor and a patient. I think we would say no one should get between God and a believer. No one should get between God and those seeking him."
The key focus areas include parental rights in religious education, school choice, conscience protections, attacks on houses of worship, free speech for religious entities, and institutional autonomy, according to a fact sheet released by the White House.
Trump said he's bringing "religion back to our country."
"They say, 'separation between church and state' ... I said, 'All right, let's forget about that for one time,'" Trump said at the event. "Is that a good thing or bad thing? I'm not sure."
The Commission will advise the White House Faith Office and the Domestic Policy Council on religious-liberty policies and recommend executive or legislative actions to protect these freedoms.
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