The Department of Labor held its first employee prayer service in the agency auditorium, a voluntary event that included remarks by Rabbi Yaakov Menken that several attendees say criticized gay marriage, transgender people and pronoun use. Some employees described the comments as cruel or hateful and questioned holding the service during work hours, while Menken defended his remarks as an appeal for religious liberty. The department says participation was optional and nondenominational. Legal experts caution that such events may not be unconstitutional per se but could raise Establishment Clause concerns if perceived as coercive.
Labor Department Holds First Employee Prayer Service — Rabbi’s Remarks Spark Criticism
The Frances Perkins Department of Labor building in Washington, DC, is seen on August 4, 2025. - Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/File
The Department of Labor hosted its first-ever employee prayer service on Wednesday in the department’s headquarters auditorium. The event included remarks from Rabbi Yaakov Menken that several attendees told CNN criticized gay marriage, transgender people and the use of gender pronouns, prompting surprise and concern among some employees.
Details Of The Service
The program, held on the department’s largest stage and featuring a podium with the Labor Department seal, included prayers led by staff from the department’s Center for Faith and hymn singing. Department leadership invited employees by email from accountfaith@dol.gov, offering in-person or virtual attendance. A Department of Labor spokesperson described the gathering as voluntary and nondenominational.
What Attendees Reported:
“I was not prepared for the unnecessary cruelty,” one employee said, describing how Menken’s remarks surprised viewers.
“I am an out queer person in the workplace and I don’t appreciate being spoken about in that hateful way,” another attendee said.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer spoke at the event and said she carries a rosary with each bead representing a state. According to attendees, the service included scripture readings from the Bible, the Lord’s Prayer, the hymn “Amazing Grace,” and the patriotic song “God Bless America.” Employees said the program acknowledged Advent and Hanukkah but did not reference other seasonal observances such as Kwanzaa; some described the tone as “very Judeo-Christian.”
Responses And Defense
Rabbi Menken, in a telephone interview with CNN, rejected characterizations of his remarks as hateful and said he was advocating for what he described as religious liberty in the workplace — opposing policies that would require employees to act contrary to their beliefs.
Department spokesperson Courtney Parella told CNN:
“The Department hosted a voluntary, nondenominational service. Employee participation was entirely optional, and work was not impacted. Those who weren’t interested simply continued their day as usual.”
Legal Context And Broader Debate
The service comes amid an administration-level effort to clarify and expand permitted religious expression in federal workplaces: in July, the Office of Personnel Management issued guidance allowing federal employees to share religious views with colleagues, display religious items at work and pray alone or together. Earlier this year the Pentagon hosted regular Christian prayer services in its auditorium — a move that drew scrutiny from legal experts who said promotion of such events by a department risks appearing to endorse a particular faith.
Legal scholars cited by CNN gave mixed assessments. George Washington University law professor Ira Lupu said the Labor Department’s event, by itself, does not necessarily violate the Constitution but warned that if such gatherings become coercive or are perceived as coercive, the Establishment Clause could be implicated. Lupu also said leaders should consider whether hosting religious events might alienate some staff.
Some long-serving employees said prior Labor secretaries did not organize department-sanctioned religious ceremonies and noted this marks a shift in how leadership is using official space and time.
Ongoing Questions: The service has intensified debate over the appropriate boundary between personal faith expression and official functions in federal workplaces — whether voluntary events held in government facilities during work hours can nevertheless create pressure, division, or perceptions of endorsement.
