U.S. agriculture secretary’s religious Easter message to all employees sparks internal backlash and a formal complaint

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins attends the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas, on March 28, 2026. (Callaghan O'Hare/Reuters via CNN Newsource)

A “Christ is Risen” Easter message sent by the secretary of agriculture has sparked backlash inside the department, angering some of its nearly 100,000 employees and prompting a formal complaint against the secretary for the religious message.

Employees at the department’s 4,500 offices across the country received an email From Secretary Brooke Rollins on Sunday: “Happy Easter — He is Risen indeed!”

Rollins told all department staff it was a day to celebrate “the foundation of our faith.”

“From the foot of the Cross on Good Friday to the stone rolled away from the now empty tomb, sin has been destroyed. Jesus has been raised from the dead. And God has granted each of us victory and new life,” the email read.

The complaint, obtained by CNN, was filed with the Office of Special Counsel by Ethan Roberts, the president of a local union for federal employees who is also an employee at USDA. The OSC is an independent federal investigative agency that investigates whistleblower complaints from federal employees with claims of violations of laws, rules or regulations.

In his complaint, Roberts said the email was a “pro-Christianity sermon” sent to all USDA employees on Easter Day, claiming it violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment. Roberts added that the email “eroded the separation of church and state.”

Roberts told CNN the secretary’s email speaking of “sin” and “Hell” made him “feel as if that was my fate if I did not treat Easter as holy as Secretary Rollins does.”

The complaint calls for the retraction of the Easter email and a stop to any further department emails that celebrate or endorse religious holidays.

A USDA spokesperson told CNN in a statement, “The Secretary is within her rights to send a message to employees and the public on the Easter holiday. Just like Secretaries of Agriculture and Presidents have in the past.”

Another USDA employee who requested anonymity to speak freely told CNN they were upset when they got the email.

“Using government resources to promote one religion contradicts what I learned about how America was founded on separation of church and state,” the employee said. “Even though many of my co-workers were also celebrating Passover, the email didn’t address any other religious traditions.”

The Freedom from Religion Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for the separation of church and state told CNN it fielded complaints about Rollins’ Easter message from nearly 30 USDA employees who expressed outrage, describing the message as “inappropriate and insulting.” The organization said it sent a formal letter to the secretary demanding she stop “promoting your personal religious beliefs through official communications.”

Under U.S. President Donald Trump, moments like this, rare in recent administrations, are becoming commonplace. Americans have been encouraged to pray for an hour each week. Some government agencies have opened their meetings with prayer or hosted regular faith services. Bible verses and Christian imagery now appear on official government social media accounts.

A series of faith initiatives championed by the White House have led to a systematic religious revival within the government’s operations, culture and policy.

By René Marsh, CNN