On May 8, 2013, numerous members of Congress joined Religious Rights activists in Washington D.C. for an event titled "Washington: A Man of Prayer." Representative Michele Bachmann was among the Congressional speakers who attended the event.

In her speech, Bachmann said that both the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the Benghazi attack in Libya on September 11, 2012 were the result of God's "hand of judgment" against the United States for being a nation "in a time of decline." After making such claims, Bachmann concluded that the best thing for the country to do is to embrace "9/11 Pray," a nationwide day of prayer held on September the 11th, during which the American people humble themselves and "pray to an almighty God."