WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Scott Kupor, the newly appointed head of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), has issued a memo instructing executive agency directors to meet “reasonable” religious leave requests by utilizing remote work and flexible schedules.
The new memo, obtained by Fox News Digital, also encourages granting time off to employees who wish to observe specific religious practices or holidays.
Kupor wrote that agencies should “adopt a generous approach to approving religious accommodations, prioritizing employee needs while maintaining operational efficiency.”
Kupor then cites Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits religious discrimination in the workplace, as well as the recent Supreme Court decision in Groff v. DeJoy, which requires employers to grant religious accommodations unless doing so would impose an “undue hardship” on the organization.
“Federal agencies must adhere to the requirements of Title VII and the Groff clarification of the ‘undue hardship’ standard when addressing religious accommodation requests,” he wrote.
The new head of OPM encouraged employers to adopt religious compensatory time off policies, allowing employees to use both paid and unpaid leave to observe religious practices.
This memo comes amid several other initiatives by the Trump administration to protect religious liberty in public life. One specific action, referenced by Scott Kupor in his memo, was President Trump’s executive order to establish the Religious Liberty Commission on May 1, as a further commitment to upholding the constitutional right to religious freedom.
The commission, which includes Bishop Robert Barron, was established to “produce a comprehensive report on the foundations of religious liberty in America, the impact of religious liberty on American society, current threats to domestic religious liberty, strategies to preserve and enhance religious liberty protections for future generations, and programs to increase awareness of and celebrate America’s peaceful religious pluralism.”
The executive order also emphasizes how religious voices in government remain “integral to a vibrant public square and human flourishing.”
Kupor reiterates this message in a statement regarding the memo saying, “It is in the interest of the Federal government to recruit and retain highly-qualified employees of faith.”
“Religious liberty is foundational,” said Kupor. “No federal employee should be forced to choose between their faith and their federal service.”
