As President Donald Trump and Elon Musk continue to dismantle federal programs, House Republicans released their budget proposal this week.
Analysts at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explained that their proposal represents “an extreme giveaway to the wealthy at the expense of families.” It would slash funding for critical social programs like healthcare and food assistance, “worsen[ing] poverty and hardship for tens of millions of people.”
Why these massive cutbacks? So they can fund more tax breaks for billionaires and corporations, buy more weapons for the Pentagon, and provide more money for Trump’s cruel mass deportation campaign.
“We have not seen such a blatantly immoral, dangerously ineffective, or directly harmful budget proposal” in our 80-plus year history of congressional advocacy, FCNL’s Bridget Moix said. She noted that the most vulnerable, including Brown, Black, and Indigenous, communities and people with disabilities will feel the harm the most.
“Nowhere in scripture or religious teachings of any tradition do I see a call to take money from the poor and give it to the rich,” Bridget said at a recent press conference hosted by Sen. Ed Markey (MA).
As the world’s richest man halts aid for the world’s poorest children, the Pentagon’s nearly $1 trillion budget has been totally untouched by Musk’s authoritarian “government efficiency” campaign. This is despite its continued failure to pass an audit and reports of rampant waste, fraud, and price gouging by weapons contractors. Most of the Pentagon’s budget goes to weapons contractors, not to soldiers or their families.
As President Dwight Eisenhower said, every dollar spent on weapons and war ultimately represents “a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”
In the months ahead, we will advocate for more dollars to be spent for people, for peace, and for our planet. We hope you will join us.
Elsewhere
Unity against Trump plans for ethnic cleansing in Gaza
Leaders in the Senate, the House of Representatives and in civil society are speaking out against President Donald Trump’s appalling vision of ethnic cleansing in Gaza. FCNL, together with A New Policy, led a coalition of over 120 international and local organizations in a letter decrying his plans.
With the ceasefire in Gaza on uncertain ground, Congress needs to hold President Trump and the Israeli government accountable. Palestinian civilians must be protected and aid must be able to access Gaza.
Foreign Aid Freeze (temporarily) Thaws
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily resume funding for foreign aid. This is an important win, but it is only a temporary reprieve. We still need your voice to defend the humanitarian aid that so many people rely on.
Pushback to Cruel Immigration Policies
A broad range of faith leaders are speaking out against President Trump’s cruel immigration policies. They are calling for welcome and inclusion. FCNL joined a letter with over 125 other organizations calling on the Trump administration to restart the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Advocates are also using the courts to hold the Trump administration accountable. Rights groups are suing to stop the imprisonment of migrants at Guantánamo Bay without lawyers, while other faith communities are suing to prevent immigration raids in houses of worship.
The Message, Not the Medium
Justin Hurdle, who helps FCNL advocates lobby Congressional offices, wrote about why writing emails to Congress is valuable. “Our words make change,” he wrote. “Vulnerability is more powerful than we think.”
Upcoming FCNL Events
- Join us on Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. ET at Friends Place or online for Poems for Peace. We will share poems that illustrate peace and the struggle for it.
- In response to threats to the dignity of all, how can Friends live our call to love our neighbors without exception? FCNL’s Anika Forrest and Linnea Halsten will discuss this question during “Urgent Action for Migration Rights” on Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
