California Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman protested the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday, claiming it violates the separation between church and state.
The congressman said in an X video that “Christian prayer” should not be allowed in the Capitol building and that the government needs to “build a wall” between church and state to uphold a “secular republic.”
“Hi Folks, just getting ready to cross the street for the National Prayer Breakfast,” Huffman said in the video taken outside of the Capitol. “I am not going to this event because I support it, I’m actually going to protest it.”
Huffman went on to show several buttons he wore to the event, one that said “Build This Wall” with an image of the Capitol building and a church, and another that said “Entering Gilead” to reference the “creepy dystopic theocracy” he said is the “slippery slope we’re heading down with events like this.”
“So look, we should not be having a Christian prayer in the sanctum of the United States Capitol in Statuary Hall,” Huffman continued. “This is an actual violation of the church-state separation like we’ve never seen.”
The National Prayer Breakfast has hosted members of the government for a time of nonpartisan prayer since 1953, though this is the first year the event was held at the Capitol. Christian prayer has been a routine part of the U.S. government since its inception, and Congress still begins with a prayer at the start of every session.
“The Constitution prevents Congress from establishing a national church. It doesn’t say presidents can’t publicly pray,” Josh Mercer, vice president of CatholicVote, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Obama and Biden each attended the National Prayer Breakfast when they were president, but Jared Huffman never protested them, leaving one to assume that Huffman only has a problem when Republicans pray.”
Huffman has led multiple efforts to strip churches and religious organizations of their tax-exempt statuses. The representative has denied any formal religious affiliation and describes himself as a “humanist.”
“The notion that religion has no place in our nation’s public square just doesn’t hold water,” Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, director of the Conscience Project, said in a statement to the DCNF. “Our founders understood the importance of a moral and virtuous citizenry. Our country has been a beacon of light for the world for our commitment to safeguarding religious freedom and countless Americans today of all political stripes consider faith as an important part of their lives.”
President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the event stating his intention to “bring God back” to America and address the years of “anti-Christian bias” and “targeting” of Christians that occurred under the Biden Administration, according to the Associated Press.
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