Press Release

In response to this week’s final agreement on the National Defense Authorization Act, Friends Committee on National Legislation’s Executive Secretary Diane Randall released the following statement:

Washington, DC – The Friends Committee on National Legislation praised today’s passage of the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 (H.R. 4) in the House of Representatives. The bill will restore the protections of 1965’s Voting Rights Act by developing a process to determine which states must seek prior clearance for election law changes with the Justice Department.

Washington, DC – As leaders of faith-based organizations, we are gravely concerned by the Trump Administration’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Washington, DC – Eight states now rank in the top ten as both the hungriest and poorest in the country, according to recently released government data. New Mexico, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, and West Virginia were on both lists in 2017. Now, for 2018, Oklahoma has joined their ranks.

Washington, DC – The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) criticized the drastic reduction of refugees to be admitted for resettlement in the U.S. This follows the Trump administration’s announcement late yesterday to resettle only 18,0000 refugees in FY 2020 – the lowest in the 39-year history of the program.

Washington, DC – The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), along with over 50 national faith organizations, urged Congress to prevent an unauthorized war with Iran.

Washington, DC – Despite the continued reductions of poverty rate, the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), is dismayed to see the number of people still living in poverty in the world’s richest country. According to today’s Census Bureau report, the official poverty rate decreased from 12.3 percent in 2017 to 11.8 percent in 2018. Approximately 38.1 million people lived below the poverty line in 2018 ($25,465 for a family of four).

Washington, DC – Today, a nationwide group of 62 organizations came together to send an unequivocal message to Congress: Now is the time to repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq (2002 AUMF).

The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and more than 60 national advocacy groups today urged congressional leaders to end all U.S. support for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their war against the Houthis in Yemen.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) fiercely opposes the move of the Department of Homeland Security to reallocate essential funding to bolster harmful and unnecessary border detention of refugees and other immigrants by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).