Senator Mike Lee condemns Pentagon's removal of LDS Church from military faith list

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) publicly criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a Pentagon revision removed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from a list of Christian faith groups used by the U.S. military. Lee, who practices the faith, posted a video on X demanding an explanation and urging the department to undo the change. He said the omission was offensive to members of his religion and to service members who share it, and urged the Pentagon to "tear down that wall" and reverse the decision.

Utah Senator John Curtis also described the policy as unacceptable and called for a reversal. The Pentagon’s overhaul reduced the number of religious affiliation codes from more than 200 to 31, consolidating many traditions into broader categories. The change affected groups such as atheists, humanists, pagans and Unitarians, and sparked particular backlash in Utah where the LDS Church is headquartered.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the restructuring is an administrative measure intended to improve chaplains’ ability to provide spiritual care, emphasizing that it does not make any claim about the legitimacy of any faith.