In a stunning move that’s already ignited a firestorm of backlash, the Internal Revenue Service under Donald Trump’s administration has reinterpreted a foundational pillar of U.S. campaign finance law—giving churches and houses of worship a green light to endorse political candidates while keeping their tax-exempt status.
The announcement came quietly late Monday night, in a court filing that may change the face of American elections forever. The decision stems from a settlement with two Texas churches and a group of Christian broadcasters who sued for the right to campaign from the pulpit without IRS interference.
But this isn’t just a tweak of tax code. It’s a rupture—of the long-standing Johnson Amendment, a 1954 law that has, for decades, prohibited tax-exempt organizations from directly endorsing or opposing political candidates.
Trump’s Department of Justice now claims the law doesn’t apply if a church endorses a candidate “in connection with religious services through its usual channels of communication.” In other words, pastors can now back politicians from the pulpit, and their churches won’t lose their nonprofit status.
Faith leaders, progressive watchdogs, and nonprofit associations are sounding the alarm.
“This court filing is deeply concerning,” said Diane Yentel, president of the National Council of Nonprofits. “It’s not about religion or free speech—it’s about radically altering campaign finance laws. Churches will become political fundraising machines, shielded from scrutiny and funded by taxpayers.”
Indeed, churches, unlike other nonprofits, do not have to file the same financial disclosures. That means no 990 tax forms. No transparency. No oversight. Critics say this opens the door for a shadow money pipeline, where political donations can flow tax-free and undisclosed through places of worship.
Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, didn’t mince words. “This is a brazen attack on church-state separation that threatens our democracy by turning pastors into political operatives,” she told The Independent. “It’s Trump’s Christian nationalist playbook: exploit religion to build political power.”
Polls suggest the public doesn’t support the move. A Pew Research Center survey from 2022 found more than three-quarters of Americans—across the political and religious spectrum—believe churches should not endorse candidates. That includes 70% of Republicans and 84% of Democrats.
Yet the lawsuit behind the new policy was spearheaded by the National Religious Broadcasters Association, which accused the Johnson Amendment of “forcing self-censorship.” The group’s president, Troy A. Miller, hailed the change as a win for “free expression.”
“For too long, churches have been told to stay silent during election cycles,” Miller said. “We believe all nonprofits have the constitutional right to express their views on elections and candidates.”
But critics argue this isn’t about expression. It’s about manipulation—and money.
“If Trump wanted to legalize dark money in churches, this is how he’d do it,” said one legal analyst. “He couldn’t repeal the Johnson Amendment in Congress, so he gutted it through the back door.”
The fallout could be enormous. Campaigns might now funnel millions through churches without disclosure, reshaping elections while skirting finance laws.
“This decision doesn’t just undermine nonprofit neutrality,” said Yentel. “It makes taxpayers complicit in funding partisan politics—whether they agree with the message or not.”
As Trump courts evangelical voters ahead of 2026 and prepares for what insiders say could be another White House run, this move could energize his base—and enrage his critics.
The pulpit just became the next political battlefield. And in Trump’s America, even the tax code is up for partisan war.