Federal employees have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins, alleging that holiday communications overstepped into unwanted religious proselytizing.<\/p>\n

According to the report,the plaintiffs say Rollins sent Easter messages containing explicitly Christian language and imagery (including references to \u201cHe is Risen\u201d and an empty tomb<\/a> sketch) to employees across the USDA. Thay also claim later holiday materials-such as a Fourth of July message invoking God\u2019s favor and a Christmas video referring to Jesus as \u201cour Savior\u201d-continued a pattern of increasingly religious messaging.<\/p>\n

The employees, with support from a federal workers\u2019 union, argue the communications were coercive and made them feel excluded. the lawsuit is pending, and a USDA representative reportedly declined to comment on the case but saeid the plaintiffs would be kept \u201cin our prayers.\u201d <\/p>\n