Executive Order on Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty
President Trump signed Executive Order 13798 on May 4, 2017, directing the Department of the Treasury to issue guidance on the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits tax-exempt organizations including churches from engaging in political campaign activity. The order instructed the IRS not to take enforcement action against tax-exempt organizations based solely on their political speech. The confirmed effect was that religious organizations gained increased latitude to engage in political activity without risking their tax-exempt status.