Editor’s Note: Vice President Mike Pence has written a letter to American voters of faith. In the letter, Pence spells out the policies instituted by Donald Trump that have strengthened religious liberty in the nation and beyond.
We stand on the brink of one of the most important elections in our lifetime. Looking back over the last four years, the American people — and particularly people of faith —have a lot to be proud of. Four years ago, Donald J. Trump announced his candidacy, and a movement was born. Millions of forgotten men and women across the nation rallied behind President Trump because they shared his belief that America could be strong and prosperous again. That was especially true of people of faith, who under the last administration saw a steady assault on our most cherished values and God-given liberties. They trusted President Trump to deliver on his promise to defend those values and liberties, and that’s exactly what he’s done.
For decades, Presidents in both parties promised to move the American Embassy in Israel. But it was President Donald Trump who kept his word, and today that embassy is finally located in Jerusalem, the capital of the State of Israel. That move helped set the stage for the recently signed Abraham Accords, in which for the first time in a quarter century, two Arab nations recognized Israel — and more are on the way.
Likewise, since day one, President Trump has stood without apology for the sanctity of human life.
On just his fourth day in office, President Trump reinstated — and later expanded — the “Mexico City policy,” which ended taxpayer funding of programs that provide or promote abortion abroad.
It was my honor to be the first Vice President to speak at the March for Life. And this past January, President Trump became the first President to address the March for Life in person.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris support abortion-on-demand — even up to the moment of birth. They’ve called for historic increases in funding to Planned Parenthood, and even repealing the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer funding of abortions. They even blocked the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act, which would have required medical care be provided to those who survived attempted abortions.
President Trump, on the other hand, has called on Congress to end late-term abortion once and for all, and recently signed an Executive Order protecting all babies born alive.
And in perhaps my proudest moment as Vice President, I cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate for a law that allowed states to defund Planned Parenthood — and President Trump signed the bill.
The record is clear: President Donald Trump has been the most pro-life President in American history.
And from day one, President Trump has also stood strong for the first freedom of every American — religious freedom.
We’ve offered unprecedented support to religious minorities of all faiths who have been persecuted by oppressive governments, and terrorist groups like ISIS. Under President Donald Trump, defending religious liberty has been a staple of American foreign policy.
Here at home, President Trump believes freedom of speech shouldn’t end at the front door of our churches and houses of worship — so he freed up the pulpits of America, and stopped enforcing the Johnson Amendment.
President Trump also took steps to restore the conscience rights of doctors, nurses, teachers, and religious charities.
Joe Biden, on the other hand, has said he will re-impose Obamacare mandates on religious institutions like the Little Sisters of the Poor, forcing them to violate the core tenets of their faith. It’s remarkable to think that Joe Biden would haul a group of Catholic nuns who have taken a lifetime vow of poverty and devoted their lives to serving the “least of these” back into court for the sake of his radical left-wing agenda.
By contrast, President Trump ended the assault against the Little Sisters of the Poor, and the Supreme Court voted 7-2 to end it forever.
But nowhere has President Trump’s commitment to people of faith been clearer than when it comes to our judicial system. As of Monday night, the Senate confirmed President Trump’s third nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Amy Coney Barrett joins Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, and the more than 250 conservative judges President Trump has appointed to our federal courts at every level. We’re well on our way to confirming a record 300 judges by the end of our first term, all of whom will uphold the God-given liberties enshrined in our Constitution, like the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Over this past year, our nation has been through a time of testing. Now, we’re approaching a time for choosing, and the choice in this election has never been clearer. We must vote to protect the very foundation of our country. The American people know that the foundation of America is freedom, but the foundation of freedom is faith. Our freedoms are a gift from our Creator, and when we defend them, we make His work on earth our own.
So when you consider your vote this year, remember this: in this election, people of faith have no greater champion than President Donald J. Trump.
–By Mike Pence | Vice President of the United States