Grassley Joins Lankford to Introduce Bill Strengthening and Protecting Military Chaplains’ Ministry

Grassley Joins Lankford to Introduce Bill Strengthening and Protecting Military Chaplains' Ministry

WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), to introduce the Military Chaplains Modernization Act of 2026 (MCMA), which would codify the purpose, role, duties and professional qualifications of military chaplains and protect chaplains from being forced to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.

The legislation is additionally cosponsored by Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.). Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) leads companion legislation in the House of Representatives, and the bill was included in the House-passed Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

"Military chaplains provide a vital service to the patriots who sacrifice for our country every day. By standardizing a chaplain's role, this commonsense legislation clarifies their duties and protects chaplains from unfair censorship. Like all Americans, our men and women in uniform have the God-given right to observe their religious beliefs, especially as they put their own lives on the line to defend our nation. Our legislation reinforces those rights," Grassley said.

"For our country's 250-year history, military chaplains have walked alongside our service members through the hardest moments of their lives, offering prayer, counsel, and hope in isolated posts and combat zones alike," Lankford said. "Chaplains serve because they are called to it. Congress has a responsibility to make sure they can carry out that calling faithfully, without being forced to violate the tenets of their faith and without fear of retaliation for holding to what they believe. This bill honors the men and women who minister to our heroes who defend our nation."

"Military chaplains shouldn't have to check their faith at the door when they put on the uniform," Cramer said. "They play a vital role in supporting the moral and spiritual well-being of our servicemembers, and their ministry and the men and women they serve are strengthened because of their faith. This legislation protects their ability to minister according to their beliefs and ensures those freedoms are always preserved."

"Military chaplains serve a unique and important role in our armed forces, providing spiritual guidance to our men and women in uniform. That is why it is imperative that their deeply held religious beliefs must be protected throughout their time in the military. I'm proud to support this legislation and the faith leaders who serve in our Armed Forces," Britt said.

Background:

The bill is supported by the Armed Forces Chaplains Board, which provides advice and recommendations to Department of Defense officials on issues regarding the free exercise of religion

The Military Chaplains Modernization Act:

• Codifies the purpose, role, duties and professional qualifications of chaplains across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force.
• Guarantees that chaplains may conduct worship, provide counseling, teach, deliver sermons, minister and offer prayer in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs and the tenets of their religious-endorsing organization, free from censorship, undue restriction or fear of retribution.
• Prohibits any member of the armed forces from requiring or assigning a chaplain to perform any rite, ritual, ceremony, sermon, speech, task or action contrary to the chaplain's sincerely held religious beliefs.
• Protects chaplains from retaliation or adverse personnel actions, including denial of promotion, letters of reprimand and negative entries in the chaplain's record, for refusing to violate their beliefs.
• Establishes that violations are subject to prosecution under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
• Codifies the ranks and roles of the Chief of Chaplains and Deputy Chief of Chaplains as principal advisors to their respective service secretaries and chiefs of staff.

Download bill text HERE.

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