Congressman Lamborn Lauds Major Air Force Step to Protect Religious Freedom

Press Release

This afternoon Congressman Doug Lamborn and religious freedom advocates released the following statement after the Air Force announced revised religious freedom regulations. These revised regulations are in direct response to an amendment offered by Congressman Lamborn on the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act for FY2015 (Sec. 528 of H.R. 4435).

"These revised regulations are a significant step in the right direction and represent a big win for common sense and decency. The Air Force has now made it clear that serving in uniform does not come at the cost of one's religious views, no matter what they might be. The First Amendment guarantees religious freedom, not freedom from religion like some extremists will argue, and these regulations seem to make that clear. While there is still room for improvement, the Air Force needs to work diligently to ensure that these regulations are properly implemented across the Air Force and at every level of command. I do believe that if these regulations are properly implemented they will provide significantly better protections for Airmen. I am particularly grateful for General Welsh's efforts on this issue and believe that Airmen of all religious beliefs will benefit because of his leadership." -- Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05).

"We were pleased when the DOD revised its religious accommodation policy in January to protect religious expression in the military. We are also pleased now that the Air Force has taken this long-awaited step in the right direction to ensure that its policy is consistent with the DOD policy. Religious freedom is vital to the American Airman's ability to fight, survive, and win." -Mike Berry, Senior Counsel and Director of Military Affairs for Liberty Institute.

"In the last two annual Defense bills, Congress adopted language requiring the Department of Defense to protect the ability of service members to freely express their faith. Today, the Air Force announced that it has finally completed a revision of older regulations which had restricted the religious expression of Airmen and their leaders. While we're pleased to read that the Air Force's 'number one concern' is taking care of Airmen and their spiritual health, that concern must be matched with actions that protect religious exercise and comply with statutory text." - David Christensen, Vice President of Government Affairs, Family Research Council.

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