Trump signs executive order establishing 'religious liberty' panel

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that he said will establish a "presidential commission on religious liberty."

Trump said many of the group's commissioners were in attendance during a Rose Garden signing ceremony marking the National Day of Prayer. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will chair the group with Trump crediting him for coming up with the idea for the commission's creation.

"He came to me with this idea, called Paula, called Jenny, called all of us, and it just came together. And we'll be adding some incredible names, some of the people that are here right now that have been with me from the beginning," Trump said, referring to Paula White, a televangelist and an unidentified woman. "We're bringing religion back to our country, and it's a big deal."

A statement circulated by the White House said the group will be charged with drafting a report for Trump "on the foundations of religious liberty in America, strategies to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism, current threats to religious liberty, and strategies to preserve and enhance protections for future generations."

The report will focus specifically on "parental rights in religious education, school choice, conscience protections, attacks on houses of worship, free speech for religious entities, and institutional autonomy," it said.

Trump previously established a White House Faith Office, and directed the Justice Department to set up a task force on "anti-Christian Bias."