FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2025

Contact: Court Beyer, cbeyer@americanhumanist.org

WASHINGTON – Today, the American Humanist Association commends Rep. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) and Reps. Jared Huffman (CA-02) and Jamie Raskin (MD-08), co-chairs of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, on the introduction of a House resolution supporting the separation of church and state. The resolution, supported by 12 additional House Members, honors our nation’s foundational principle of church-state separation and opposes extreme right-wing Christian Nationalism.

“In this climate of authoritarianism, where people like us are being called ‘demonic’ and ‘domestic terrorists’ for believing in secular government, real religious liberty can’t be taken for granted,” said Fish Stark, Executive Director of the American Humanist Association. “Our nation’s founders, who had just fought and won a war of independence against a tyrannical, church-led state, knew constitutional protections for free thought and free speech – what they referred to as ‘freedom of conscience’ – were paramount for our new democracy. The work of Rep. Ansari, Rep. Huffman, and Rep. Raskin to affirm these rights and the responsibility of our government to protect them is critical, and we are grateful to have champions like them standing up for these bedrock values in Congress.”

The resolution is co-sponsored by Representatives Becca Balint (VT-AL), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), André Carson (IN-07), Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Jerry Nadler (NY-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), many of whom are members of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, which works to protect the secular nature of our government and counter Christian Nationalism in Congress.

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The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.