The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling on the incoming Congress to pursue impeachment proceedings against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth’s tenure has been marked by many scandals, including an escalating campaign to inject Christian nationalist ideology into the U.S. military, undermining religious neutrality and marginalizing nonreligious service members. FFRF’s demand follows the recent failed effort in the House of Representatives to advance impeachment proceedings against Hegseth. On Tuesday, Nov. 10, with 11 Democrats unfortunately absent, the House voted 211–204 to effectively block further action this year. FFRF insists that lawmakers must make accountability for Hegseth a priority when a new congressional majority takes office in January.
The state/church watchdog particularly applauds Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D — Ariz.), a member of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, who introduced six articles of impeachment against Hegseth earlier this year. Her resolution alleges unauthorized warfare against Iran, violations of the laws of armed conflict, mishandling of sensitive military information, obstruction of congressional oversight, abuse of power and conduct bringing disrepute upon the armed forces. Ansari has continued to press for Hegseth’s removal, including supporting a separate Republican Rep. Thomas Massie-introduced impeachment resolution that was the one barely halted. FFRF commends Ansari’s leadership and emphasizes that the constitutional concerns surrounding Hegseth extend well beyond the allegations addressed in those resolutions.
FFRF agrees that Hegseth must be removed and urges the incoming Congress to use its constitutional authority to investigate his conduct and pursue impeachment.
“Pete Hegseth has spent his tenure turning the Pentagon into a platform for Christian nationalist ideology,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “His repeated attempts to privilege Christianity, disparage nonreligious Americans and impose his personal theology on the armed forces represent a profound betrayal of his constitutional responsibilities. Congress cannot allow these abuses to continue unchecked.”
FFRF has repeatedly sounded the alarm about Hegseth’s efforts to transform the military into an instrument of Christian nationalism. The state/church watchdog points to a disturbing pattern of religious favoritism, sectarian messaging and policies that threaten the constitutional rights of service members.
Among the most alarming developments:
- Erasing atheists and minority faiths. The Pentagon has eliminated atheism and numerous minority religious and nonreligious identities from its official religious affiliation classifications. FFRF has warned that this diminishes the visibility of service members whose beliefs do not fit preferred religious categories.
- Reshaping military chaplaincy around Christianity. Hegseth has announced sweeping changes to the Chaplain Corps, disparaging secular humanism and promoting an explicitly religious approach to military readiness. He has criticized existing policies for failing to emphasize God and encouraged chaplains to “preach the truth” and “shepherd the flock.”
- Creating a religious bureaucracy within the Pentagon. Hegseth has established a new Office of Religious Affairs, raising serious concerns about religious favoritism and the potential evaluation of service members’ supposed “spiritual fitness.”
- Using official military communications to promote Christianity. Pentagon messaging has increasingly featured biblical passages, Christian imagery and sectarian declarations. Hegseth has invoked a “heavenly king,” urged Americans to put on the “full armor of God,” and asserted that “the real battle is spiritual.”
- Institutionalizing sectarian worship. Hegseth has inaugurated monthly evangelical prayer services at the Pentagon during the workday. At the first service, he declared that the nation needed to be “on bended knee, recognizing the providence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
- Elevating Christian nationalist extremists. Hegseth invited Pastor Doug Wilson, a self-described Christian nationalist whose church has espoused extreme positions on women’s rights and homosexuality, to lead a Pentagon prayer service. CNN has also reported that Hegseth’s senior religious adviser, Ryan Higgins, has a history of rejecting church-state separation and promoting racist and homophobic rhetoric.
Hegseth’s inflammatory statements also include invoking Scripture while praying for violence against enemies during a Pentagon prayer service, such as asking that “every round find its mark.” His sectarian agenda signaling adherence to conservative Christianity is particularly alarming given the substantial number of nonreligious Americans serving in uniform, who now constitute half of active service members. FFRF has challenged these developments through formal complaints, public statements and Freedom of Information Act requests seeking records concerning the Pentagon’s religious policies and restructuring of military chaplaincy.
“Our service members swear an oath to defend the Constitution, not Christianity,” says FFRF Co-President Dan Barker. “The Pentagon exists to protect the rights and freedoms of all Americans, including the freedom to reject religion entirely. Hegseth is using his office to advance the very religious favoritism our Constitution was designed to prevent.”
FFRF emphasizes that religious favoritism is especially dangerous in the military, where strict chains of command and institutional hierarchies can make service members vulnerable to coercion.
Hegseth’s conduct raises broader questions about his leadership and judgment. Most recently, a soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery reprimanded members of a group accompanying Hegseth for talking and laughing near the memorial on Veterans Day.
The case for impeachment extends beyond any single incident, though. The cumulative Hegseth record, including his repeated promotion of sectarian religion through official government channels, demands serious congressional investigation and impeachment.
The Constitution empowers Congress to impeach and remove civil officers for high crimes and misdemeanors. FFRF believes the incoming House should investigate whether Hegseth’s pattern of constitutional abuses, together with the serious allegations already raised in congressional impeachment resolutions, meets that standard.
The state/church watchdog further urges lawmakers to examine the Pentagon’s religious policies, the use of taxpayer resources for sectarian worship, the treatment of nonreligious service members and the involvement of Christian nationalist figures in military decision-making.
“The next Congress has an opportunity and an obligation to restore accountability at the Pentagon,” Barker concludes. “Hegseth has repeatedly demonstrated that he cannot separate his personal religious agenda from his public responsibilities. Our military deserves leadership that respects the Constitution and every American who serves under it. Congress must investigate these abuses and move forward with impeachment.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With about 40,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.
