In his remarks at the Rose Garden event, Trump championed his administration's efforts to protect the religious liberty of people both in the United States and overseas and labeled the executive order a "historic action." Pence told the crowd that “believers of every background have a champion in President Trump,” and he reminded them of Trump’s executive order signed a year ago, also in a Rose Garden ceremony, which he said assured people of faith that “no one would be penalized for their religious beliefs.”

The new executive order takes that a step further, he added. (a) Executive Order 13198 of January 29, 2001 (Agency Responsibilities With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives), Executive Order 13279 of December 12, 2002 (Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and Community Organizations), as amended by Executive Order 13559 of November 17, 2010 (Fundamental Principles and Policymaking Criteria for Partnerships with Faith-Based and Other Neighborhood Organizations), Executive Order 13280 of December 12, 2002 (Responsibilities of the Department of Agriculture and the Agency for International Development With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives), Executive Order 13342 of June 1, 2004 (Responsibilities of the Departments of Commerce and Veterans Affairs and the Small Business Administration with Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives), and Executive Order 13397 of March 7, 2006 (Responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security With Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives), are hereby amended by:

(i) substituting “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” for “White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives” each time it appears in those orders;

(ii) substituting “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” for “White House OFBCI” each time it appears in those orders;

(iii) substituting “Centers for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives” for “Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives” each time it appears in those orders; and

(iv) substituting “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” for “Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships” each time it appears in those orders. (b) To the extent permitted by law, the Initiative shall:

(i) periodically convene meetings with the individuals described in section 3(a)(ii) of this order;

(ii) periodically convene meetings with representatives from the Centers for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives and other representatives from across agencies as the Advisor may designate;

(iii) provide recommendations regarding aspects of my Administration’s policy agenda that affect faith-based and community programs and initiatives;

(iv) help integrate those aspects of my Administration’s policy agenda that affect faith-based and other community organizations throughout the Federal Government;

(v) showcase innovative initiatives by faith-based and community organizations that serve and strengthen individuals, families, and communities throughout the United States;

(vi) notify the Attorney General, or his designee, of concerns raised by faith-based and community organizations about any failures of the executive branch to comply with protections of Federal law for religious liberty as outlined in the Attorney General’s Memorandum of October 6, 2017 (Federal Law Protections for Religious Liberty), issued pursuant to Executive Order 13798 of May 4, 2017 (Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty); and

(vii) identify and propose means to reduce, in accordance with Executive Order 13798 and the Attorney General’s Memorandum of October 6, 2017, burdens on the exercise of religious convictions and legislative, regulatory, and other barriers to the full and active engagement of faith-based and community organizations in Government-funded or Government-conducted activities and programs. It said the “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” would provide recommendations on programs and policies where faith-based and community organizations could partner with the government to “deliver more effective solutions to poverty.”

It also pointed out that the new office would enable the Trump administration to know of failures, within the executive branch, of complying with religious liberty protections and would ensure that faith-based organizations have “equal access to government funding and equal right to exercise their deeply held beliefs.”

The initiative will be led by the newly created position of adviser to the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative and will be supported by community and faith leaders outside of the federal government. The May 3 ceremony to announce this office began with a series of prayers, led first by Vice President Mike Pence, who also told the crowd that he and the president frequently have people telling them: “We’re praying for you.”

He said the Bible “tells us to persevere in prayer” and noted that the American people do this every day and would do this in a particular way during the National Day of Prayer when many would “bow a head or bend a knee” to pray for the nation.
Donald Trump signs an executive order to give greater freedoms to federally funded faith-based initiatives.