This year, 675 Advocacy Team members lobbied 342 times and published 103 times in the media, urging Congress to rein in wasteful Pentagon spending. We also launched new Advocacy Teams in Maryland, Virginia, and Oklahoma, expanding our power to 48 states plus D.C.
During a tumultuous election year, Advocacy Teams gave Congress a prophetic call to repeal the Unfunded Priorities List (UPL) mandate and hold to the caps agreed upon for Pentagon spending in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. Despite significant political headwinds, we achieved some real victories.
Despite significant political headwinds, we achieved some real victories.
This summer, 162 members voted to defund UPLs, including a majority of Democrats. While this amendment did not pass, FCNL Advocacy Teams received a major affirmation. A staffer for a member of House Democratic leadership shared how far Congress has come on this issue, and how this amendment would never have received 100 votes between 2001 and 2018.
He highlighted how this becoming a bipartisan issue illustrates how the American people want fiscal transparency. And he thanked the team for educating the representative, which led to their decision to vote in favor of defunding the UPLs.
As the year progressed, some members of Congress wanted to increase Pentagon spending by tens of billions of dollars, using a “peace through strength” narrative. Advocacy Teams continued to advocate for fiscal responsibility, reducing waste, and investing in the needs of ordinary people. We received a major win when the National Defense Authorization Act was passed in December with no increases above the agreed caps.
The 2024 campaign was a first step towards reining in wasteful Pentagon spending.
The 2024 campaign was a first step towards reining in wasteful Pentagon spending. We have a long way to go, but our successes this year show that the public and members of Congress are beginning to agree that Pentagon spending has gotten out of control.
In 2025, Advocacy Teams will lend their power to another crucial issue, the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza. Under the theme, Aid, Not Arms: Opening the Way to Peace in the Middle East, Advocacy Teams will urge Congress to restore humanitarian aid through the United Nations Relief and Works Agenda (UNRWA) to millions of Palestinians.
As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the program, we will also have opportunities to celebrate how far we have come and dream about where we want to go in the next decade.
