Trump and his GOP won’t let this fly.
Arkansas Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is pushing back after a secular activist group accused her of violating the Constitution — all because she chose to give state employees more time to celebrate Christmas with their families.
The controversy erupted after Sanders announced that Arkansas state offices would be closed on Friday, December 26, extending the Christmas holiday for government workers. What many saw as a family-friendly decision quickly drew criticism from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an organization that frequently challenges religious expression in public life.
In a formal letter, the group demanded that Sanders reverse her decision, arguing that her proclamation improperly promoted Christianity and crossed constitutional lines.
Sanders’ response was swift — and unmistakably firm.
According to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the governor rejected the demand outright.
“I will do no such thing,” Sanders wrote.
She went on to challenge the idea that Christmas should be stripped of its religious meaning to satisfy government activists.
“Christmas is not just an ‘end-of-the-year holiday’ with vague cultural traditions,” Sanders explained. “It is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is not presents, decorations, or stockings that define this day — it is the story of Christ.”
The governor also noted the timing of the complaint, calling it ironic that the letter arrived just after she attended a Menorah lighting ceremony alongside Arkansans of many different faiths.
Sanders said she rejects the claim that acknowledging Christianity somehow excludes others.
“In fact, many would say the opposite,” she wrote. “By openly expressing our own faith while honoring the faiths of others, we show respect to every religious community in our state.”
Addressing the broader criticism, Sanders emphasized that her Christmas message was never intended to impose religious doctrine.
Instead, she said, the proclamation highlighted the humility of Christ’s birth — a moment when the King of Kings entered the world not through wealth or power, but in a simple manger, witnessed only by shepherds.
She closed her letter with a message of goodwill, writing that Christ’s love and sacrifice are extended to all, regardless of belief.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation continues to argue that Sanders used her official position to advance a religious viewpoint, claiming her actions violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
The dispute underscores a familiar national debate — one many conservatives believe reflects a growing effort to push faith and tradition out of public life, even during America’s most widely celebrated holiday.
