Speaker Mike Johnson on July 3 Affirms U.S. Rights Derive From God Amid One Big Beautiful Bill Act Debate

On July 3, 2025, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson emphasized in a floor speech that the United States is the first nation in history to acknowledge that individual rights derive from God rather than the government. He referenced the national motto "In God We Trust" to underscore this point. Johnson praised America's founding principles and described the nation as the most free, powerful, and benevolent in history, attributing this to the divine origin of rights. This statement followed a key House vote on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The remarks sparked discussion about the historical beliefs of the Founding Fathers, with some noting that figures like Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson were deists who did not believe in a personal God intervening in human affairs. Additionally, commentator William J. Federer highlighted the influence of moral and religious values on the Founding Fathers, including the revolutionary concept that humans are made in God's image, and discussed the meaning of citizenship in the American context.