Trump Administration Lets Federal Workers Evangelize in Offices

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management on Monday issued new guidance stating that federal employees may seek to persuade coworkers of their religious views in the workplace, provided the conversations are not harassing. The memo, signed by OPM Director Scott Kupor, applies to supervisors as well as rank-and-file staff and bars agencies from disciplining workers who decline to participate. The policy also permits employees to display religious items such as crucifixes or mezuzahs at their desks and to organize prayer groups before or after work or during lunch breaks. Kupor said the measures ensure federal offices are “welcoming to Americans of all faiths.” The guidance implements President Donald Trump’s February executive order directing agencies to eliminate what the White House called the “anti-Christian weaponization of government.” It builds on a mid-July decision that allowed telework and schedule adjustments for religious observance, further expanding the role of faith expression inside federal workplaces.