The Trump administration's Religious Liberty Commission released its first report, advocating a stronger role for religion and religious expression in government, schools, and the public square.

The advisory body, established by President Donald Trump last year, issued the draft report Friday. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick serves as chair of the commission, and Dr. Ben Carson, former secretary of housing and urban development, as co-chair.

The committee calls for eliminating the Johnson Amendment, which forbids political activities by tax-exempt religious groups and supports allowing more religious expression in the public square and greater access to public money for religion-based agencies.

Trump, speaking Friday at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's annual Road to Majority conference, applauded the report.

"We saved religion. It was going down," Trump said, saying former President Joe Biden carried out a "reign of persecution."

Critics of the group say its perspective is skewed toward policies favored by Trump and his supporters and that it heard almost entirely from like-minded scholars and activists.

Former talk show host Phil McGraw, a member of the commission, appeared on "Finnerty" to discuss the report.

"What I have learned is that religious liberty is not just about being able to choose your house of worship, but it is encroaching into people's daily lives," McGraw said.

"We've had over 100 witnesses across our seven commission hearings, and they're telling us that it's encroaching onto their military service, education, both as teachers and students, healthcare, with doctors being forced to do things that are contrary to their belief system, and their careers are being put on the line," he added.

"Everybody should have the right to pursue religion," McGraw continued. "That's what liberty is all about, being able to choose.

"But there's a difference between the right to choose and being forced to do something against your religion or being forced into a belief system."

McGraw said Christians are persecuted around the world.

"This fight is fundamental to our rights," McGraw said. "Christians somehow have been convinced that they're second-class citizens."

"That's not the truth," he added. "And we have so many in the heartland that have been kind of unwilling to step up and speak up. And I think that's changing."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.