WHAT IS A SIGN-ON LETTER  |  IMPACT OF SIGN-ONS  |  DECISION PROCESS  |  UPDATED LIST

Our advocacy takes many forms with long-term and immediate aims, and ELCA Witness in Society staff are active equipping members, building influential relationships with policy makers, networking strategically with other concerned partners, researching policy pieces and their impacts and inviting our ELCA Advocacy Network to action at impactful moments.

One timely way we can act as ELCA is to sign on with others to offer pointed comments to decision makers when developments demand.

WHAT IS A SIGN-ON LETTER

A “sign-on letter” is an advocacy tool that acts like a petition to members of Congress or other policy decision makers, often addressing an immediate issue or impending vote. Sign-on letters are drafted and circulated among organizations with similar policy goals to ask other organizations to join, showing support for a policy position or value by adding their name.

The Witness in Society team may recommend listing the ELCA as an organization on a sign-on letter. Some letters are tailored for individual sign-ons, usually by the head of an organization. In the ELCA, most individual sign-ons are done by the ELCA presiding bishop.

IMPACT OF SIGN-ONS

Sign-on letters are frequently used when swift and targeted action will have an impact on decision-makers. The aim is to provide education on an issue, articulate shared organizational values on a subject and urge the recipient to take a specific action or vote. Ecumenical and interfaith sign-on letters summarize broad consensus in the faith community. In addition to receipt by individual members of Congress or Executive Branch officials for example, they may be used in constituent meetings and shared as public statements as well.

DECISION PROCESS

The ELCA joins sign-on letters following careful analysis by the Witness in Society team, sometimes in consultation with other staff. The Senior Director for Witness in Society makes the final determination for a sign-on. Sign-on letters require a foundation in ELCA social teaching and relevance to ELCA public policy advocacy priorities. Sign-on letters are also evaluated for accuracy of facts and the tone of the statement, seeking language that will educate or persuade, avoiding hyper-partisan or inflammatory language. Witness in Society staff are strategic about the use of sign-on letters, asking if a joint letter is the right approach at this time; how the letter will be disseminated and used to create awareness among members of Congress, the Administration and throughout the ELCA; what the impact of not signing a letter might be; and discerning whether a standalone effort from the ELCA would have greater impact at the given point-in-time or may be preferable to state distinctly the ELCA’s position.

LAST UPDATE: 2/12/26

Our ministry of advocacy is a witness to God’s love for our neighbor, ourselves and for all creation. Here are recent statements made with ELCA support. Use the link in the date to read a public posting* of the sign-on letter in full.

2026

• Jan. 29 – “We write to you as the Circle of Protection, a coalition of national church bodies and related ministries representing the diversity of Christianity in this country. …We support needed protections for people from ICE agents’ behavior, or guardrails in these appropriations bills. We call on Congress to assert more accountability in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending bill.” Circle of Protection letter to Congress [ELCA signer: Witness in Society Senior Director]

2025

• Dec. 16 – “We, the undersigned 104 civil society organizations, write to respectfully request the inclusion of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the President’s implementation of Gaza’s recovery.” Letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
• Dec. 10 – “As religious organizations, representing hundreds of thousands of people of faith, we write in opposition to the series of proposed rules by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency to weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations, published November 21, 2025. We believe every creature is a beloved part of God’s creation, endowed with worth and purpose. When a species is pushed towards extinction, a reflection of God’s glory is dimmed.” National Religious Partnership for the Environment faith public letter comment to Secretary of the Department of the Interior.
• Dec. 9 – “We, the undersigned 130 national, state, and local legal services; humanitarian, human, civil, economic development, labor rights, faith-based, and veteran organizations, write to address the administration’s actions in the days since the violent attack that occurred in Washington, D.C. on November 26. We grieve for the families impacted by this unimaginable tragedy and call for justice and accountability for the victims. While doing so, we also strongly urge you to immediately reverse course and fully restore our nation’s humanitarian and immigration programs, free from discriminatory or hateful policies and rhetoric.” Letter to President Trump.
• Nov. 25 – “On behalf of the undersigned national faith-based organizations working to reduce poverty and support those experiencing food insecurity, we write to share our concern about the announced termination of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Household Food Security Reports.” Letter to Secretary of Agriculture.
• Oct. 31 – “…Guided by our diverse faith traditions, we share moral outrage that the Trump administration intends to abandon those facing the world’s most severe humanitarian and displacement crises including in Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and elsewhere… We call on the administration to reaffirm America’s longstanding commitment to protecting people fleeing persecution by fully restoring the refugee program to reflect and align with humanitarian values.” Interfaith Immigration Coalition Press Release. [Accompanying comment included from ELCA Witness in Society Senior Director]
• Oct. 29 – “We write as the Circle of Protection, a coalition of national church bodies and related ministries representing the diversity of Christianity in this country… We call on Congress to negotiate an end to the government shutdown, and we strongly urge the administration to do everything in its power to ensure families receive full SNAP benefits in November. This includes immediately using SNAP’s contingency funding and USDA’s transfer authority.” Statement from Christian Leaders in the Circle of Protection.
• Oct. 20 – “As organizations committed to civil society and open civic space, we, the undersigned, are gravely concerned by the U.S. government’s (USG) decision to impose sanctions under Executive Order (EO) 14203 against three leading Palestinian human rights organizations – Al-Haq: Law in the Service of Man (Al-Haq), Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights (Al-Mezan), and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) — for engaging with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek investigations into war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza.” Joint Statement.
• Sep. 16 – “We, the undersigned 78 national, state, and local organizations representing resettlement agencies, direct service providers, faith-based organizations, and human rights groups, write to urge you to do everything in your power to ensure that the administration upholds its moral and legal obligations to fully restore the congressionally established U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and to take immediate legislative and oversight actions to fully restore refugees’ access to basic healthcare, nutrition assistance, and social services, ensuring that newly arriving families have the opportunity to thrive. Letter to Congress.
• Sep. 12 – “Intensified Israeli military attacks on Gaza City and forced displacement orders for the entire city are leaving families with an impossible dilemma: flee and risk death on the road and in overcrowded displacement areas, or stay and face relentless bombardment in their shelters… Let our goods enter. Let us work. Stop this assault.” Humanitarian and civil society organizations letter.
• Sep. 10 – “On behalf of the Interreligious Working Group on domestic human needs (DHN) and partners, we are reaching out to share our support for inclusion of Senate Amendment 3503 in a manager’s package of amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, (S. 2296) or group of amendments for which roll call votes will be held… which helps military families, veterans, and other Americans access affordable housing.” Letter to Senate leadership.
• Aug. 26 – “Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) joined twenty church based organizations in calling for Israel to halt its planned military offensive in Gaza City. With famine already declared in Gaza, further military operations will only cause further suffering and death for a civilian population without anywhere else to go.” Joint statement.
• Aug. 13 – “We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our grave concern regarding the preventable humanitarian catastrophe and mass starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip. We urge you to use all available tools, including the suspension of U.S. security assistance in compliance with section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act, in order to secure an immediate surge in humanitarian assistance and an end to the ongoing atrocities.” Letter to members of Congress.
• Aug. 13 – “On behalf of the undersigned organizations and our hundreds of thousands of members and supporters, we submit these comments to the Environmental Protection Agency on its Request for Comments on the repeal of the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units, also known as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS). As faith based institutions, we are heartsick by the proposal to weaken the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants.” Public comment submitted by National Religious Partnership for the Environment et al.
• June 26 – “We, the 45 undersigned national religious organization, express our deep concern and reaffirm the core moral imperatives of our faith traditions in light of H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill.” Letter to Senate Majority and Minority leaders.
• June 24 – “We urge Congress to exercise its constitutional responsibility by scrutinizing any military action against Iran and by supporting the Iran War Powers Resolutions (S.J.Res.59 and H.Con.Res.38), introduced by Senator Kaine and Representatives Khanna and Massie.” Letter to Congress with 19 national Christian denominations and organizations.
• June 23 – “As organizations representing a diverse range of faith traditions, we write to express our support for the bipartisan Religious Workforce Protection Act (RWPA)… Unless Congress acts, communities will increasingly be forced to part with the men and women who have faithfully served them for years, and religious exercise will be hindered in their absence.” Letter to Senate Majority and Minority Leaders.
• June 19 – “We, the Circle of Protection… urge members of Congress to oppose the rescissions bill and the Administration’s proposed cuts in international aid in FY2026 appropriations.” Letter to President Trump and members of Congress [signed by ELCA Senior Director, Witness in Society].
• June 18 – “We respectfully urge the Administration to reverse its decision, uphold previous U.S. commitments and reaffirm the Paris Agreement. We collectively affirm that Faiths Are Still In.” Statement from over 45 national, state, and local faith organizations.
• June 5 – “While the White House argues that these rescissions will make the United States safer, stronger and more prosperous, we, the undersigned 78 organizations, lament the proposal will achieve the opposite. We urge you to oppose the rescission of any foreign assistance funds related to urgent human needs, including food, medical and humanitarian aid, and to global stability and resilience, such as peacebuilding, poverty-focused development assistance, climate resilience and good governance.” Letter to Members of Congress led by Friends Committee on National Legislation.
• May 21 – “The interfaith community holds a shared belief affirming every person is made in God’s image and deserves to thrive, not just survive. Our sacred texts call us to love our neighbors and accompany the vulnerable. Our federal government should reflect these sacred ideals and support the common good. The House Budget Reconciliation bill fails to reflect love and compassion and instead harms those we are called by faith to serve. We urge each Member of the House to VOTE NO on this bill” [full text]. Letter to members of the Houses.
• May 19 – “We write as organizations variously focused on U.S. national security and foreign policy, human rights, the protection of civilians, peacebuilding, and humanitarian response… We urge you to proactively offer a principled vision for diplomatic negotiations towards an inclusive, just peace for Ukraine and stability for the region. Letter to members of Congress.
• May 2 – “We, the undersigned 21 non-profit and faith-based organizations, representing Americans in all fifty states, write to express our concern regarding the reported proposal to close several U.S. embassies in Africa, including in the Central African Republic and South Sudan, as well as the Republic of Congo, Eritrea, the Gambia, and Lesotho. In particular, embassies in Bangui, Central African Republic, and Juba, South Sudan are critical to implementing programs and diplomatic efforts that promote our national security and have widespread bipartisan support.” Coalition letter to Secretary of State.
• May 2 – “We, the undersigned organizations –a diverse coalition of religious organizations, children’s advocates, agriculture partners, maternal and public health organizations, and retail and industry stakeholders – urge Congress to build on this success with continued, bipartisan investment in WIC. We specifically urge appropriators to work with the Department of Agriculture to provide sufficient funding for the projected caseload and program costs at the time of bill passage, and to protect the scientific integrity of WIC’s food packages.” Letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders.
• April 10 – “We, the undersigned 85 local and national faith-based organizations, urge you to consider the constitutional rights and inherent dignity of all immigrants as you draft the budget reconciliation bill.” Letter to leadership of Senate and House Committees on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Committees on the Judiciary.
• Mar 20 – “The undersigned institutional investors recognize the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform to ensure economic stability, workforce resilience, and sustainable growth. Sound and just immigration policy is not only a matter of human rights but also an economic imperative that strengthens our workforce, enhances innovation, and secures the competitiveness of U.S. businesses in the global economy… We call on Congress to reject piecemeal immigration-related orders and directives that only prolong uncertainty and create confusion and instead come together to enact comprehensive immigration reform that protects all stakeholders and fosters long-term economic growth.” Investor Statement through the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility to members of Congress.
• Mar 6 – “We, the over 1,800 national, state, and local organizations representing communities across the country, urge the House and Senate to reject proposals for any cuts or attempts to weaken SNAP and the child nutrition programs.” Letter to House & Senate leadership.
• Mar 3 – “We, the undersigned 124 civil society organizations, write to respectfully request your support for the restoration of United States funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) through cosponsorship of the forthcoming ‘UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2025.’” Letter to members of Congress.
• Feb 26 – “As faith leaders, we are deeply troubled at the impact this current debt crisis is having on the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable across the world… We must have a fair and functional global debt system. The Jubilee tradition calls for debts to be forgiven, land restored, and slaves freed. This Biblical practice embodied justice, mercy, and reconciliation, offering a renewed covenant with God and harmony within the community.” Letter to G20 finance leaders, signatories include Presiding Bishop Eaton.
• Feb 24 – “We, the undersigned organizations, members of the Alliance to End Hunger, urge you to protect, strengthen and fully fund federal food and nutrition programs in Fiscal Year 2025 and FY 2026 budget appropriations, reconciliation and continuing resolutions. U.S. domestic food assistance programs are critical to keeping people strong and secure in all corners of our nation – in rural, suburban, and urban areas. Federal nutrition programs support farmers and jobs all along the food chain and brace up local economies.” Letter to House and Senate leadership.
• Feb 14 – “We implore you to use your position to immediately restore foreign aid programs, reopen critical refugee resettlement programs, and fully reinstate USAID.” Letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
• Feb 12 – “On behalf of the millions of Americans represented by our faith, humanitarian, health, education, foreign policy, development, human rights, business, labor, peace, women’s advocacy, science, and environmental organizations, we strongly urge you to oppose efforts to shut down U.S. foreign assistance, including the critical work of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).” Coalition letter to House and Senate.
• Feb 12 – “As members and partners of the Interfaith Working Group on Foreign Assistance, a network of Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist organizations working in solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable people, we write to you to express our grave concerns over the sudden order to stop lifesaving foreign assistance work around the globe and the dismantling of USAID.” Letter to House & Senate leadership.

2024

• Dec. 20 – “We, the undersigned faith-based organizations, write to urge you to use the weeks remaining in your administration to commute all federal death sentences and prevent the likelihood that the incoming administration will resume executions.” Letter to President Biden.
• Dec. 2 – “As a network of faith-based organizations who care deeply for the most vulnerable, whom we believe are made in God’s image, we know the path forward to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. We hear from faith-based organizations and institutions across the globe that PEPFAR saves lives and they are grateful to the United States. A clean, five-year reauthorization of this life-saving program signals to the world that no matter the challenges – the U.S. is still leading and committed to saving lives and ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat.” Letter to Chairman/Ranking Member of Senate and House committees on foreign affairs.
• Nov. 20 – “On behalf of the undersigned members of the Alliance to End Hunger, we respectfully request that you provide sufficient funding for critical programs that save lives, protect livelihoods, and build resiliency and self-sufficiency as you conference the FY25 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration bill.” Letter to leadership of House & Senate Subcommittees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration.
• Nov. 20 – “On behalf of the undersigned members of the Alliance to End Hunger, we respectfully request that you provide sufficient funding for critical programs that save lives, protect livelihoods, and build resiliency and self-sufficiency as you conference the FY25 State, Foreign Operations bill.” Leadership of House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs and the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
• Oct. 22 – “We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to cosponsor and vote in favor of the four joint resolutions of disapproval introduced by Senators Sanders, Welch, and Merkley regarding several specific major arms sales to the government of Israel.” Letter U.S. senators.
• Oct. 18 – “We write as U.S. Christian faith leaders deeply concerned by the continuing injustice, suppression of rights, and disregard for international law that has endured for decades in Israel/Palestine.” Churches for Middle East Peace letter to Trump and Harris campaigns.
• Aug. 21 – “The undersigned 103 state, national, and local faith-based organizations, write to call on your administration to urgently address backlogs in work permit processing and continue efforts to enhance, expand, and extend access to work authorization for immigrants and asylum seekers alike.” Coalition letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas, Domestic Policy Council Director Tanden, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Jaddou.
• July 31 – “We represent a diverse coalition of church bodies and related organizations that include 100 million people. We are writing together as a demonstration of the breadth of support in the Christian community for the Child Tax Credit expansion that will come to the Senate floor this week.” Circle of Protection letter to members of the U.S. Senate.
• July 26 – “We the undersigned human rights, civil rights, and social justice organizations call on you to implement an immediate arms embargo on the Israeli government in order to save lives.” Letter to President Biden and members of Congress.
• July 23 – “As global Christian leaders committed to peace and justice and the recognition of the image of God in all humanity, we abhor the ongoing violence that has now continued for more than nine months between Hamas and the Israeli military… Against this catastrophic backdrop, we have called before and call again now, with heartfelt insistence, for a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire, for the return of hostages, and the release of Palestinian prisoners held without due process. Churches for Middle East Peace letter to President Biden.
• July 22 – “We, the 64 undersigned organizations, urge you to safeguard and invest in critical funding for peacebuilding, human rights, humanitarian aid, migration, international climate finance, poverty-focused development assistance and related accounts in the Fiscal Year 2025 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPs) appropriations bill. Letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on SFOPs Chair Coons and Ranking Member Graham.
• July 9 – “We, the 1,422 national, state, and local organizations representing communities across the country, urge the House and Senate to develop a Farm Bill that ensures that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is protected and strengthened and that benefit adequacy, equitable access, and program administration remain core tenets of the program.” Letter to members of Congress.
• June 27 – “We write to you today on behalf of 26 faith-based organizations with heavy hearts, compelled by the harrowing tales of suffering and devastation unfolding in Sudan at this very moment… in the hope of inspiring decisive action to alleviate their suffering.” Letter to President Biden.
• June 18 – “We write to you as the Circle of Protection, leaders of diverse church bodies and Christian organizations… We hope this Congress will still be able to pass three important pending bills, with priority attention to their impact among people struggling with hunger and poverty… Regarding the Farm Bill… Regarding FY2025 appropriations… expansion of the Child Tax Credit…” Circle of Protection letter to President Biden and members of Congress.
• Jun. 10 – “As you determine priorities for the Fiscal Year 2025 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Act, as members of the Alliance to End Hunger, we respectfully urge you to provide robust funding for global nutrition and food security programming. Specifically, $2 billion for Food for Peace Title II, $265 million for McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition, and $500 million for agricultural research.” Letter to House Appropriations Committee Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee Chairman and Ranking Member.
• May 22 – “On behalf of the organizations listed below, we ask that you fund global HIV/AIDS programs in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 no less than $6.79 billion for Global Health Programs at the Department of State, including $5.14 billion for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), $1.65 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as ensure that the programs are governed by policies that expand access to health care, uphold human rights, and help to put the world on track to end AIDS by 2030.” Coalition letter to House & Senate Committees for Appropriations leadership.
• May 9 – “We write to express our deep concern regarding the plight of the Cuban people. The combined effects of failed U.S. foreign policies and Cuban economic policies have created dire humanitarian conditions on the island. It is crucial for your administration to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and expedite the processing of assistance from humanitarian organizations.”. Letter to President Biden.
• May 6 – “On behalf of the 134 undersigned civil liberties, human rights, community, faith, and privacy organizations, we respectfully request that the United States Senate Committee on Finance refrain from advancing consideration of H.R. 6408, and its companion bill S. 4136, introduced by Senators John Cornyn and Angus King. This proposed legislation would unconstitutionally harm all Americans’ free speech and due process rights by creating new executive authorities that could be abused by any presidential administration seeking to terminate the tax-exempt status of nonprofit organizations arbitrarily.” Letter to Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance.
• Apr. 29 – “We, the undersigned 103 immigrant, refugee, human rights and humanitarian organizations, write to express our alarm and deep disappointment following Congress’s decision to reinforce and codify the Biden Administration’s suspension of U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the principal aid provider for millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and in the surrounding region. Suspending funding during a humanitarian catastrophe, widespread starvation and looming famine is a moral and strategic failure that abandons nearly two million displaced Palestinians during a period of extreme need. We call on Congress to urgently introduce and pass legislation and for the President to support reinstating funding to UNRWA.” Coalition letter to President Biden, Speaker Johnson, and Majority Leader Schumer.
• Apr. 16 – “As members of the Alliance to End Hunger, the undersigned organizations urge you to pass supplemental appropriations for humanitarian assistance included in the security supplemental bill passed by the Senate with broad bipartisan support in February. Specifically, the final package should include the Senate-approved $9.15 billion for critically needed humanitarian, food security and resilience programs.” Letter to House and Senate leaders.
• Mar. 26 – “We, as global Christian leaders, stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Palestine and around the world and say the killing must stop, and the violence must be brought to an end. We ask world leaders to exercise strong moral courage to bring an immediate end to the violence and to open a pathway toward peace and an end to the conflict. We call for a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire where all combatants lay down their weapons and Israeli hostages and Palestinian political prisoners held without the due process of law are released.” Churches for Middle East Peace letter to President Biden and his team.
• Mar. 26 – “Haitian Bridge Alliance and the undersigned 481 immigration, human rights, faith-based, and civil rights organizations write to request an extension and redesignation of the Republic of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and a moratorium on deportations to the Republic of Haiti.” – Letter to President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Secretary Mayorkas.
• Mar. 13 – “The undersigned organizations advocate for the human rights of immigrant communities and for a fair, functioning and humane immigration system. We urge Members of Congress to ensure that the FY2024 spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security does not increase funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention beyond FY2023’s already high levels.” Statement to Congressional leadership.
• Mar. 12 – The Yes In God’s Back Yard (YIGBY) Act, legislation to support faith-based organizations and colleges wanting to build and preserve affordable housing on their land and reduce barriers to the development of this housing, was endorsed by a group of faith groups and coalitions including the ELCA when it was introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown (OH). Endorsement.
• Feb. 29 – “The undersigned 194 organizations-–which include medical, academic, human rights, immigration, civil rights, and faith groups—write today with an urgent call to action: DHS must end the practice of solitary confinement in all immigration detention centers.” Letter to President Biden, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Deputy Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
• Feb. 14 – “We are non-governmental organizations supporting the protection of civilians in the conflict in the Occupied Gaza Strip and writing to urge you to restore funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).” Letter to President Biden.
• Feb. 7 – “We, the 662 undersigned faith leaders and 155 faith-based organizations and congregations, write to express our profound concern and opposition to measures proposed in the ‘Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024’ that will further restrict access to asylum, arbitrarily close the border, and turn away families and individuals seeking safety and refuge in the United States.” Letter to Members of Congress. 
• Jan. 11 – “We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to cosponsor and vote in favor of S.Res.504, Senator Bernie Sanders’ resolution under Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. § 2304) requiring a report on Israel’s human rights practices and U.S. military aid to Israel. After months of devastation in Gaza, there is urgent need for a meaningful debate on U.S. support for Israeli operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including the extent to which U.S. military aid may be supporting violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.” Letter to senators.
• Jan. 11 – “We are writing as the Circle of Protection, a coalition of churches and ministries with a combined membership of 100 million people. This letter is about pending issues that are especially important to people in poverty.” Circle of Protection letter to President Biden and Members of Congress naming priorities in FY2024 appropriations including WIC nutrition assistance, international humanitarian assistance, and the Child Tax Credit.

2023

• Dec. 21 – “With the winter getting colder, as religious denominations, faith-based service providers, and members of the Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs (DHN), we are compelled to reach out to urge you and your colleagues in Congress to provide the highest funding levels possible for affordable housing and homeless assistance programs in the fiscal year (FY) 24 federal budget to address the present homelessness crisis.” Letter to members of Congress. [Read this interfaith letter from domestichumanneeds.com, direct link not shared here.]
• Dec. 12 – “As 235 religious leaders and 143 national, state, and local faith-based organizations representing many faith traditions, we write to express deep concern over reports that your administration is considering agreeing to harsh and permanent asylum restrictions amid unrelated spending discussions.” Letter to President Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas.
• Nov. 29 – “…Instead, we call on governments worldwide to do everything possible to secure a bilateral ceasefire, one that will stop all violence from Hamas and Israel, allow for the safe release of civilian hostages held in Gaza, and give immediate and adequate access to desperately needed humanitarian aid to be delivered, including through crossings to Israel. Without an agreed upon end to violence from all parties – there is no path forward.” Churches for Middle East Peace Letter to President Biden.
• Nov. 17 – “On behalf of the undersigned… we strongly encourage the Department of State (DOS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to extend the interview waiver authorities set to expire on December 31, 2023. These authorities allow consular officers to waive in-person interviews for certain, low-risk nonimmigrant visa applicants and have resulted in significantly decreased wait times for nearly all visa applicants.” Letter to Secretary Blinken and Secretary Mayorkas.
• Nov. 13 – “We, the undersigned humanitarian, national security, human rights, faith-based, civilian protection, and grassroots organizations, write to express our alarm regarding the possible transfer of 155mm artillery shells to support Israel’s ground operations in the Gaza Strip. We urge you to refrain from granting the government of Israel access to the U.S.-origin 155mm munitions currently stockpiled there.” Letter to Secretary of Defense.
• Nov. 9 – “As religious leaders we write to request action that enables Puerto Rico, our home, to promptly, fully and permanently support nutrition assistance benefits for all its people in need. Please include Puerto Rico in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).” Letter to members of Congress, endorses include Bishop Eaton.
• Oct. 16 – “We, the undersigned organizations, write to express our urgent concern regarding dire and escalating violence in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territory, which continues to result in significant human suffering and loss of civilian life.” Open call for ceasefire.
• Oct. 12 – “…As Church-based denominations and organizations with deep ties to the Holy Land, we mourn with our Israeli and Palestinian siblings as they grieve the loss of loved ones and remain fearful of continued violence… At this critical time, it is incumbent upon Congress to act in ways that will help de-escalate the violence and stop further loss of life.” Letter to members of Congress.
• Sept. 26 – “As 53 faith organizations, representing people of faith across religious traditions and denominations… we urge Members of Congress to fund the government and to work in a bipartisan manner to pass a Continuing Resolution without harmful provisions.” Letter to members of Congress.
• Sept. 25 – “…the more than 600 undersigned national, state, and local organizations representing maternal and child health organizations, family support advocates, and research partners respectfully urge Congress to include sufficient resources in a short-term Continuing Resolution to ensure that WIC can continue providing all eligible women, infants, and children who seek to participate with the full, science-based nutrition benefit. We also call on Congress to fully fund WIC for fiscal year 2024 to sustain current benefits
• Sept. 12 – “On behalf of members of the Alliance to End Hunger, a coalition of humanitarian and development organizations, corporations, faith-based institutions, and others, we support the Administration’s supplemental request for international assistance that includes humanitarian, food security and resilience needs globally. As Congress develops its supplemental appropriations bill, we urge you to include this funding.” Letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committees leaders.
• Sept. 11 – “As leaders of Christian communions and agencies in the United States… Ahead of your upcoming meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu, we urgently appeal to you to address the escalating violence, incitement, and hate crimes against Palestinian Christians under the new Israeli government.” Letter to President Biden.
• Sept. 6 – “This letter is about poverty-important decisions that Congress and the President will be considering in FY2024 appropriations, the Farm Bill, and possible tax legislation.” Circle of Protection letter to President Biden and members of Congress.
• Sept. 6 – “We, the undersigned 23 civil society organizations, are writing to respectfully request the immediate obligation of the funds provided by Congress in the FY2023 State, Foreign Operations appropriations bill for food assistance to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, distributed through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Letter to Secretary of State.
• July 18 – “Over a year ago, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed while reporting on the Israeli military’s invasion of a refugee camp in Jenin in the occupied West Bank… We, the undersigned organizations, call on Congress and the Biden administration to support Representative Andre Carson’s Justice for Shireen Act to require necessary reporting to Congress by the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in an effort to learn all the unanswered questions leading up to, during and after the fatal shot that killed Ms. Abu Akleh.” Letter to members of Congress.
• July 12 – “We, the undersigned 25 civil society organizations, are writing to respectfully request your assistance in releasing the funds provided in the FY23 State, Foreign Operations appropriations bill for food assistance to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, distributed through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).” Letter to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member.
• June 1 – “We are writing to ask you to use your voice and influence as a public official to speak out publicly against a surge in legislative, regulatory, and legal threats seeking to undermine the practice of ESG investing.” Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility letter to members of Congress.
• May 18 – “On behalf of the 30 undersigned faith organizations representing people of faith across religious traditions and denominations, we write today to urge you to protect critical anti-poverty programs – food, healthcare, income supports, and housing – that help the most vulnerable to thrive in final negotiations related to the debt ceiling crisis.” Letter to the President and Speaker of the House.
• April 24 – “More than 50 organizations… committed to gender justice submit this comment in support of strengthening the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Proposed Rule on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing… We commend HUD for advancing this important regulation, which is a critical tool for creating more equitable and inclusive communities in which all residents, including women and LGBTQI+ people, have access to the resources and opportunities they need to live with dignity and flourish.” Public comment submitted to HUD.
• April 11 – “On behalf of the 22 undersigned faith organizations representing people of faith across religious traditions and denominations, we write today to urge you to protect critical anti-poverty programs – food, healthcare, and housing – that help the most vulnerable to thrive in the upcoming negotiations related to the budget.” Letter to Speaker McCarthy, Minority Leader Jeffries, Majority Leader Schumer, and Minority Leader McConnell.
• April 3 – “As you determine priorities for the upcoming Farm Bill, we strongly urge you to further support and promote nutrition in International Food Aid Programs. Promoting both food and nutrition security is critical to ensuring populations around the globe can access the foods and nutrients needed to maintain health as well as prevent and treat malnutrition.” Letter to House and Senate Committees on Agriculture.
• March 31 – “The undersigned 39 national organizations urge you to support robust funding to meet the affordable housing needs of older adults.” Letter to Chairs and Ranking Members.
• March 29 – “As a multifaith group of 20 organizations committed to saving lives and advancing the dignity of vulnerable and marginalized people around the world, we urge your support for strong U.S. investments in international humanitarian, poverty-focused development assistance, and peacebuilding programs.” Letter to House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.
• March 28 – “As people of faith who recognize and uplift the inherent dignity of all individuals and the simple right to breathe without risk of harm, we urge the EPA to issue stricter standards and help correct environmental injustices, promote public health, and protect God’s Creation.” Coalition Letter to E.P.A. Administrator with Comments on Proposed Soot Standard.
• March 23 – “We, the 130 undersigned faith organizations, write to you to express our grave concern regarding the reports of your administration considering reinstating family detention, an immoral and inhumane practice that was discontinued by your administration at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in 2021.” Letter to President Biden.
• March 15 – “Our nation must do more to address hunger and SNAP has a key part to play. The 2023 Farm Bill presents opportunities to make further progress. We ask you to work to strengthen SNAP and protect the program from cuts or other harmful changes.” Joint Statement in support of SNAP.
• March 13 – “As national religious denominations and faith-based organizations in the United States with ties to Cuban religious communities and the Cuban people… We urge you to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and seek a path toward normalization in our nation’s relationship with the Cuban people and government.” Letter to President Biden.
• March 13 – “From our church communions and partners, we are hearing unprecedented concern about the deteriorating human rights situation and rise in violence in both the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel. U.S. military funding to Israel in part sustains this violence, making the U.S. government complicit in ongoing abuses. As U.S churches and church-based organizations, we call for change to end this U.S. complicity and ask that the U.S. government hold Israel accountable for its abuses including by cutting military aid.” Letter to President Biden and Members of Congress.
• February 27 – “…We pray that members of Congress and the administration will work together to keep our government creditworthy without cutting poverty-focused programs.” Letter to President Biden and the 118th Congress, organized by Circle of Protection
• February 17 – National Faith Organizations urge the United States to lift sanctions on Syria and expedite humanitarian assistance to facilitate earthquake response. Faith letter to Biden administration and members of Congress.
• February 1 – “…We ask that you temporarily halt security assistance from the United States to Peru as a strong message of support for the basic human rights of Peruvian citizens.” Faith Letter to President Biden.
• February 1 – ““The NGO Committee on Migration and the undersigned endorsers call on world leaders to accelerate their efforts to end child labor by 2025.” A Call to Action by world leaders appeal organized by the NGO Committee on Migration.
• February 1 – “We, the 1,921 undersigned organizations, write to urge the Biden administration to use the fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget request to call for robust funding for affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs that help low-income households and communities thrive.” Letter to President Biden and Secretary Fudge organized with the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding.
• January 23 – “As 165 faith-based organizations and congregations across traditions, we write with grave concern about the forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that will set in motion an asylum ban in the form of a rule that bars people from asylum if they enter without inspection or do not seek protection in countries of transit.” Letter to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Mayorkas and Secretary Blinken.
• January 9 – “We, the 94 undersigned civil society organizations, are writing ahead of the North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS) to urge your administrations to center human rights, humanitarian protection, and access to asylum for individuals fleeing persecution in your discussions regarding regional migration.” Letter to the President of the United States, the President of Mexico, and the Prime Minister of Canada.”

2022

• November 28, 2022 – “The Respect for Marriage Act is a simple way to provide legal stability for all married couples and their families. Within our communities, we approach matters of marriage, family, and identity differently. This bill recognizes this diversity of belief while ensuring that same-sex and interracial couples are treated with equal respect by federal and state governments.” Letter to Senators Baldwin and Collins.
• November 22, 2022 – “We are writing to urge you to expand the Child Tax Credit, especially for the
  poorest families during the Lame Duck Session.” Letter to president and members of Congress through Circle of Protection.
• November 16, 2022 – “On behalf of the 45 undersigned faith-based organizations, we join together in support for the Respect for Marriage Act (S. 4556).” Letter to senators.
• November 15, 2022 – ““As faith leaders with a deep concern for the Holy Land, we call on our government to lead a thorough and transparent investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.” Letter to Secretary of State signed by ELCA presiding bishop.
• September 27, 2022 – “As U.S.-based groups concerned with public health at home and abroad, we write to ask you to deliver urgently needed health funding for COVID-19 and the Monkeypox Virus (MPXV) response to protect domestic and global health.” Letter to Congressional Appropriators.
• September 23, 2022 – “We, the undersigned organizations, are writing to urge you to take immediate action to activate disaster recovery efforts in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona.” Letter to Administrator Criswell and Secretary Fudge.
• September 21, 2022 – “On the one-year anniversary of the restart and expansion of the Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee and Parole Program, the undersigned immigrant and refugee rights organizations write to request that your administration immediately strengthen the program so that it can deliver on its promise as a pathway to safety and family reunification.” Letter to President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas and Secretary Blinken.
• September 16, 2022 – “As 111 religious leaders and 59 national, state, and local faith-based organizations across traditions, we urge you to support and pass the Afghan Adjustment Act (S.4787 / H.R.8685) as part of the upcoming FY 2023 Continuing Resolution.” Letter to Members of Congress.
• September 15, 2022 – “The undersigned organizations urge your administration to designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala.” Letter to President Biden, Secretary Mayorkas and Secretary Blinken.”
• August 22, 2022 – Ending border officials’ religious-freedom violations and their practice of trashing migrants’ personal belongings. Letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary.
• August 1, 2022 – Righting the wrongs of family separation. Letter to House and Senate leaders.
• July 28, 2022 – Federal Financial Aid Access in FY 2022 Reconciliation for DACA, TPS, and DED Holders. Letter to Senate and House leaders from 96 groups.
• July 20, 2022 – “We are writing now with a very specific purpose—to urge that the budget reconciliation package include funding to close the Medicaid coverage gap and extend life-saving medical care to the two million Americans who are currently unprotected because their state did not expand Medicaid as provided under the Affordable Care Act.” Circle of Protection letter to senators.
• July 7, 2022 – “As the undersigned religious denominations, faith-based service providers, and houses of worship from across the country, we ask you to proactively support the Housing First model as a proven strategy to address homelessness and housing insecurity in our communities.” Letter to members of Congress.
• July 7, 2022 – “As Christian faith organizations with a deep concern for the Holy Land, we urge you allow floor consideration and support passage of Representative Andre Carson’s amendment to the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to require the State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
• July 1, 2022 – “On Monday, the nation witnessed a tragedy as at least 53 individuals were found dead in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, with reportedly 16 more individuals sent to local hospitals… We believe the surviving victims are at imminent risk of deportation or expulsion under Title 42 and want to ensure that your office is aware of this risk and takes action to prevent it from occurring.” Letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas organized through American Immigration Council.
• June 29, 2022 – “As representatives of faith-based denominations and organizations, many of whom have a long history of relationships with Cuban faith partners…. We hope these initial positive steps will help increase support for the Cuban people and allow Cuban Americans to assist their families on the island.” Letter to President Biden.
• June 23, 2022 – “As people of faith, we are called to seek peace and imagine a world free from war and the threats of nuclear weapons. Today, we are calling on President Biden to move one step closer to that vision through a mutual return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by the United States and Iran.” Faith leader statement.
• June 17, 2022 – “As the undersigned members of the Washington Interfaith Staff Community, our religious organizations would like to express support for a letter… that [supports] creating a federal reparations commission through an executive order by Sunday, June 19, the Juneteenth holiday.” Letter to PresidentBiden.
• June 14, 2022 – “The undersigned 21 organizations from the Washington Interreligious Staff Community (WISC) Health Care Working Group write to urge you to advance a budget reconciliation package that prioritizes health care for vulnerable communities.” Letter to Senators.
• May 18, 2022 – “Today we, bishops of the [ELCA], write you as lead congressional appropriators, to call your attention to the dire cash flow situation faced by the Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) in East Jerusalem. A.” Letter to congressional foreign affairs chairmen.
• May 9, 2022 – “The undersigned… write to express our deep concern with the text introduced in the TRIPS Council on May 3, 2022 that has been put forward as an alternative to the proposed waiver of World Trade Organization (WTO) intellectual property (IP) barriers for COVID-19 medical tools. We urge the U.S. and other WTO Member States to reject this text and negotiate a true TRIPS waiver instead.” Letter to U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai.
• May 6, 2022 – “We call on Congress to appropriate $5 billion in emergency resources to address food insecurity and humanitarian crises exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine…” Letter to congressional appropriations chairmen and Leadership.

*These urls were selected for public availability of the signed document, not for the content of the website.

By Laura Muther [About the author]

My familiarity with this devotional’s biblical passage and its connection to advocacy began in college, as Matthew 5:13-16 was our theme for the Spirit-led social justice student organization that I helped lead, the Social Action Leadership Team (SALT). Being a part of SALT helped me to find where the light of truth was leading me and allowed me to start shining that light through running the World Relief Campaign. It helped me to find a community of advocacy-minded friends where I developed the skills I carry with me today.

For me, the light of Christ led me to become an ELCA Hunger Advocacy Fellow. In my work as a fellow, I am preparing to help other California Lutherans advocate in the halls of power at their state legislators’ offices. As advocates, we do God’s work when we play a role in shining the light of truth upon the wrongs and injustices in our state, nation and global community. Although it is one of the things the Lutheran Office of Public Policy-California does, shining our light can be done in more ways than just a Lutheran Lobby Day at our state capitol.

Sometimes the flame of justice burning within us may not look like a light. It may look like a whistle blowing to alert neighbors of the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in their streets. It can look like bringing groceries to immigrant and migrant neighbors. It can look like attending a vigil to honor immigrant communities. When two or three are gathered in community to advocate on behalf of their neighbor, Christ is there.

This world so often feels full of darkness; may God help us find a way to turn on the light of truth in the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura Muther is the Hunger Advocacy fellow for the Lutheran Office of Public Policy – California. Muther is an alumna of Valparaiso University, where she served as Chair of the Social Action Leadership Team (SALT), after serving as donor relations co-leader and faith and reflections coordinator. Following her time at Valparaiso University, Muther served a year with the Episcopal Service Corps in Seattle as a Vendor Program Intern with Real Change news, working with members of Seattle’s unhoused and low-income population. She is from the St. Louis area and enjoys photography and hiking.

Following are updates shared from submissions from ELCA-affiliated state public policy offices (SPPOs) this quarter (formerly shared monthly). Full list and map of SPPOs available.

KANSAS | PENNSYLVANIA | VIRGINIA | WISCONSIN

Kansas Interfaith Action

Rabbi Moti Rieber, Executive Director

These last few months have been a whirlwind of advocacy, community building, and rapid response at Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA). Following a much-needed holiday recharge, our team hit the ground running as the 2026 legislative session began, a session that has already proven to be as grueling as anticipated.

We rang in the new year by launching our legislative platform centered on a singular truth – human needs are human rights – and announcing a rally with the same theme. This vision came to life in January when over 650 Kansans and over a dozen coalition partners gathered at the State Capitol for our “Human Needs are Human Rights” rally, sending a powerful message that demanded human-centered policy and reminded elected leaders that every person is made in the image of God. In addition to this rally, KIFA has joined partners under the dome this legislative session for LGBTQ+ Equality Day, Anti-Hunger Action Day, and Latino Lobby Day to stand in solidarity with our neighbors.

Since the very start of this legislative session, we’ve been in high gear, mobilizing our KIFA base and navigating a legislative session defined by procedural chicanery and fast-tracked legislation. Critical priorities include mobilizing against SB 244, an anti-trans bill that threatens the safety and rights of the trans and broader LGBTQ+ communities. It would require gender markers on state IDs to match a person’s sex assigned at birth and require them to use the bathroom that matches that marker. We are now calling on our base to urge lawmakers to sustain the governor’s veto, which is widely and imminently expected. Both chambers passed it via “emergency action.” Read the “Kansas Interfaith Action Condemns Legislators’ Attacks on Gender Freedom and Broken Legislative Process” statement here, which includes a strong renouncement from Rabbi Moti Rieber, KIFA Executive Director.

We are also fighting SB 254 and HB 2448/HCR 5021, which collectively aim to strip benefits from immigrants and create unnecessary barriers to voting. Regarding the former, instead of receiving a hearing in a House committee, leadership decided to bypass the hearing process (like they did with SB 244, the anti-trans bill) and pass it via “emergency action” on the house floor. That being said, an amendment was passed stripping out the in-state tuition portion, so it doesn’t match the Senate bill. This means a joint Senate-House conference committee will be called to iron out the differences between the bills. Regarding the latter, HB 2448 requires that citizenship status be listed on Kansas state issued IDs, such as a driver’s license, regardless of legal immigration status. HCR 5021 rewrites the Kansas Constitution to require these state issued IDs or a passport in order to vote, restricting our right to vote to only those who can overcome certain barriers. While these bills have been introduced separately, together they lay out a deliberate plan to deny our freedom to vote while also putting our immigrant neighbors at risk.

On a non-legislative note, KIFA has also launched “We the People,” a virtual series on faith and public life, with the ELCA Central States Synod! We also completed a major overhaul of our website. Visit kansasinterfaithaction.org to check it out. We’re committed to helping Kansans put their faith into action, offline and online.

Contributing writer: Sagi Rudnick, KIFA Program & Advocacy Associate 

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania

Tracey DePasquale, Director

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania (LAMPa) staff kicked off 2026 by equipping youth and their leaders in the Lower Susquehanna Synod for hunger advocacy at Winterfest Youth Gathering. More than 200 youth and leaders at the synod’s annual winter retreat heard from recent LAMPa racial justice fellow Anna Oslikova about the transformative power of advocacy and then took first steps themselves — writing postcards to policymakers after packing more than 30,000 meals for hungry neighbors.

Oslikova, who completed an Isaiah 58:12 racial justice fellowship in 2025, shared her experience getting to know immigrant farmworkers in her region. “The lasting impact for me was the fact that advocacy takes courage, and stepping out of my comfort zone inspired me in ways like showing me my capabilities that I never thought I would have been able to have,” said Oslikova.

To mark MLK Day and equip disciples to pursue justice all year long, LAMPa partnered with United Lutheran Seminary and Gettysburg College to host “Prophets, Saints and Kings: Resisting Christian Nationalism and Building Beloved Community with King and Bonhoeffer.” Recordings of the event are available here.

LAMPa also unveiled a six-week curriculum (perfect for Lent) on the new ELCA social statement, Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All. Download the curriculum from here.

As we pray for the church in Minnesota and communities standing up for immigrant neighbors across our country, LAMPa has been working within the PA Immigration Coalition and supporting synods and congregations speaking up for state and local welcoming policies while developing rapid response networks across the Commonwealth.

Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

Rev. Dr. LaKeisha Cook, Executive Director

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy (VICPP) kicked off the 2026 General Assembly Legislative Session on January 14th with renewed momentum for change. This year, our priority bills address critical issues affecting Virginia communities: maternal health reform, higher education access for incarcerated individuals, affordable housing expansion and increased support for working families, including paid sick days.

As these bills move through the legislature, we’re encouraged by the bipartisan support many of our initiatives have garnered which is a hopeful sign in these politically divided times.

Beyond legislative advocacy, we mobilized faith leaders across Virginia to voice concerns about a proposed Department of Homeland Security purchase of a warehouse in Hanover County. Through coordinated efforts and unified advocacy, we successfully prevented this purchase from moving forward. This was a powerful demonstration of the power of organized faith communities to protect their neighborhoods.

On January 21st, we hosted our annual Day for All People lobby day in Richmond, Virginia. This signature event brought together over 425 participants who engaged directly with legislators and attended educational workshops focused on our policy priorities. The day’s programming featured a powerful panel discussion on the importance of intergenerational advocacy in the pursuit of justice, highlighting how voices across age groups strengthen our collective impact.

The strong turnout and enthusiastic participation demonstrate the deep commitment Virginians have to building a more just and equitable commonwealth. As the legislative session progresses, we remain dedicated to advancing policies that reflect our shared values of dignity, fairness, and opportunity for all.

Lutheran Office of Public Policy in Wisconsin

Kacy Kostiuk, Director

The Lutheran Office for Public Policy in Wisconsin (LOPPW) continues to engage faithfully in public witness, policy advocacy, and outreach across the state.

Letter to Elected Officials

Recently, LOPPW sent the letter, “To Elected Officials Entrusted with Public Leadership in Wisconsin,” which expressed deep concern about the violence and fear in Minnesota following U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deployment and the ripple effects in Wisconsin communities. The letter called on public officials to speak clearly against violence, reject rhetoric that dehumanizes, promote transparency and accountability and work across political lines to build trust and ensure safety.

Legislative Advocacy

LOPPW has been engaged on a range of policy priorities with the Wisconsin Legislature this year. Advocacy efforts include collaboration with faith-based and secular partners to:

• Advocate for state funding to address federal changes to SNAP/FoodShare.
• Support groundwater protection measures.
• Oppose deregulation of potentially predatory lending practices.
• Oppose legislation that would criminalize homelessness.

LOPPW has also supported legislation to prevent human trafficking and support survivors, create a task force addressing missing and murdered African American women and girls, and enable DACA recipients to access professional licensure in fields such as nursing and teaching.

Outreach

LOPPW has been connecting with ELCA congregations and members across Wisconsin, including at the synod-sponsored Winter Theological Event in northwestern Wisconsin, “Together in Mission” in the greater Milwaukee area, and the LEAD Conference in southcentral Wisconsin.

LOPPW launched a newly designed website and has developed several new outreach materials, including this “Faith in Action” What Can You Do? flyer.

Spring outreach will continue with updated electronic resources and in-person visits during Lent and beyond, as LOPPW prepares for engagement ahead of the 2026 elections. We are also supporting an emerging inter-congregational collaboration effort related to advocacy. Stay tuned for more about this and opportunities to connect with others!

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: January 2026

In our January 2026 issue, find Action Alert, Resource and opportunity updates. Look for a resumption of Policy Notes in our next issue which are expanded in the ELCA Advocacy Blog.

• Read the current Advocacy Connections here.

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Receive monthly Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http://elca.org/advocacy/signup , and learn more from elca.org/advocacy .

After a record-setting 43 days of shutdown, the federal government resumed operations with a bill signed by President Trump on the evening of Nov. 13, 2025, which funds most federal agencies through Jan. 30, 2026. A message was sent to U.S. House and Senate representatives expressing gratitude for the reopening. This message, which follows, also noted prayer in our ELCA communities for our elected leaders and public servants and encouraged “lawmakers at all levels of government to prioritize consistent and good governance in the future.”

November 14, 2025

Gratitude for Reopening of Government

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) gives thanks for the resolution of the government shutdown and the restoration of essential services to families across this nation. With the government open, we ask our elected leaders to now work together to ensure all are able to afford healthcare in this country. We pray for all who were affected during this period of uncertainty and disruption as well as for all those who face the deadly consequences of unaffordable healthcare.

The Bible emphasizes a consistent ethic of care for people who are poor in over 2000 verses. As Christians, we hold in our hearts profound concern for people experiencing poverty and we are called to act in civic life for the benefit of our neighbors. Many of our congregations work in parallel and in partnership with the government to implement federal nutrition programs such as SNAP, WIC, and child nutrition — services that face disruption, delays, or uncertainty during shutdowns. Over the past few weeks, many ELCA World Hunger ministries and countless food pantries across this church have witnessed firsthand the shocking and overwhelming demand that arises when families lose access to these vital resources.

The impact of government shutdowns extends beyond immediate hunger relief. Farmers who depend on Department of Agriculture services, dedicated public servants, community organizations that rely on federal partnerships, and more, all experience the ripple effects of governmental dysfunction. The ELCA’s social message on “Government and Civic Engagement in the United States: Discipleship in a Democracy” reminds us that government exists to serve the common good and protect human dignity and that public service is a noble vocation. While we recognize that people of faith may disagree on matters of policy, we share a responsibility to ensure that governance itself functions effectively. Shutdowns undermine the trust essential to democratic institutions and harm the most vulnerable among us.

We urge our elected leaders to:

• • Prioritize good governance and return to a bipartisan appropriations process focused on the common good;
  • Advance and pass legislation as soon as possible to address surges in healthcare premium costs;
  • Protect and fund programs that serve people experiencing poverty, hunger, and illness in all upcoming budget negotiations;
  • Seek common ground through civil dialogue that honors the dignity of all people and creation;
  • Remember that behind every program and service are real people whose lives and livelihoods depend on stable, functional government.

As Christians, whose baptismal call is to “strive for justice and peace in all the earth” we work together for the common good and commit ourselves to continued advocacy for just policies and accountability in public life. We will continue to accompany people affected by hunger and economic insecurity. We encourage congregations to engage and partner with their elected representatives to ensure no one goes hungry.

We pray for our elected leaders and all public servants as they enter the next period of budget discernment and encourage lawmakers at all levels of government to prioritize consistent and good governance in the future.

The Rev. Amy Reumann
Senior Director, Witness in Society
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Updated October 10, 2025

STATUS ON CAPITOL HILL | ACTION ALERTS | RESOURCES AND WEBINARS | OUR COLLECTIVE VOICE

The Farm Bill, which guides much of U.S. agriculture, rural and food policy, is currently being debated in Congress. The ELCA urges Congress to pass a 2024 Farm Bill that promotes:

• food for hungry neighbors at home and abroad,
• healthy rural and farming communities,
• inclusion of people of all backgrounds,
• care of creation to feed future generations

In a world of abundance, we strive for an end to hunger and poverty, and towards a just world where all are fed. Additionally, we are to work with each other and the environment to meet needs without causing undue burdens elsewhere. The Farm Bill is one of the most influential pieces of legislation affecting hunger and conservation in the U.S. and around the world.

Our social statements call for policies that provide adequate nutrition for all and create livelihood opportunities that are genuinely sustainable. We urge lawmakers to pass a 2024 Farm Bill that reflects these faith-based values.

Status on Capitol Hill

Action Alerts

UPDATE 9/26/25 – As the House of Representatives aspires to schedule a late committee vote at the end of October, lawmakers should know that any farm bill should restore recently cut food assistance, meet demand for over-subscribed conservation programs, bolster our capacity to fight global hunger and be adequate for farmers across the nation. The current extension expires soon, and further delays only increase uncertainty for farmers and families alike.

Future Farm Bill Action Alerts will be added to this page – but you can be notified directly by signing up for the ELCA Advocacy Network. New Action Alerts and monthly updates are sent to the network, which you sign up for here.

Resources & Webinars

From the ELCA Witness in Society advocacy team

As the Farm Bill progresses in legislative discussion, opportunities will be shared here.

Our Collective Voice

By raising our collective voice, we can help enact a more just Farm Bill that leaves no one hungry. In your location and federally, let’s act boldly to end hunger and poverty in our time and ensuring healthy creation to feed future generations.

Here are some other ideas for making your voice heard.

• Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper on the importance of anti-hunger and pro-farmer policies in the Farm Bill.
• Attend town halls or public events this August Recess with your members of Congress to ask questions about their Farm Bill priorities.
• Pray for those experiencing hunger and for our elected officials to have wisdom and compassion.

The U.S. government could run out of funding on Oct. 1, 2025, if Congress does not pass new legislation to fund its operations. A government shutdown would occur at midnight on Sep. 30, the end of the 2025 fiscal year, if no agreement is reached. On Sep. 24 the ELCA advocacy staff advanced the following message to members of Congress and The White House Faith Office.

September 24, 2025

ELCA Urges Immediate Return to Negotiating Table

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a denomination of 2.7 million members who span the ideological and partisan spectrum, strongly urges the members of Congress and President Trump to return to the negotiating table now and work in a bipartisan manner to fund the government.

Actions by this country’s elected officials jeopardize good government and the well-being of all that good governance facilitates. These actions include:

• • recurring government shutdown fights,
  • continual deepening of our nation’s unsustainably high debt, and
  • replacing normal bipartisan appropriations with unilateral reconciliation or rescissions.

This church understands government as a gift from God intended to promote the common good. This gift is a vital piece of God’s provision for the world God so loves (John 3:16) and especially for the hungry, sick, and poor with whom Christ identifies himself (Mathew 25:40).

Our government must do better. Failure to negotiate with one another and with the president will lead to a government shutdown that will hurt all Americans and harm the most vulnerable members of society first and worst of all. Likewise, failure to address healthcare premiums will result in over twenty million Americans facing dramatic increases in their healthcare costs starting in January 2026. Neither of these outcomes is acceptable.

We are deeply concerned by the breakdown of bipartisan governance, and we strongly urge the leaders and members of both major parties to govern for all their constituents, not just their supporters.

The Rev. Amy Reumann
Senior Director, Witness in Society
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

TERMS: More about reconciliation is available from Congress.gov. The Bipartisan Policy Center offers a “Rescissions 101” with more information.

“We said at the beginning of the 2025 Kansas legislative session that we were expecting to bear witness more than passing or stopping particular legislation, and so it turned out,” said Rabbi Moti Rieber, Executive Director of Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) in the ELCA-affiliated state public policy office network. This month’s SPPO Spotlight Series entry is a look at some of the ways KIFA bears witness through advocacy. KIFA works with the ELCA Central States Synod and is a strategic partner of the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference of the United Church of Christ (UCC), the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, and the Mercy & Justice Team of the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church.

By Rabbi Moti Rieber, Executive Director, Kansas Interfaith Action

On March 10, 2025, around 170 Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) supporters gathered at the Kansas Statehouse to learn, advocate and bear moral witness to issues that concern people of faith throughout the state. Highlights of the day included an inclusive and energizing rally, as well as our large group chanting, “Love not hate makes Kansas great!” outside of the legislative chambers. Thanks to the dedicated work of KIFA staff and volunteers, KIFA Day 2025 was our most successful Advocacy Day ever! And thanks to the dedicated KIFA supporters who attended, our presence at the Capitol in Topeka was visible and our voices were clearly heard!

During the Legislative Session

KIFA has been actively engaged on several fronts in recent months, working to live out our faith through advocacy and action in the public square. The 2025 Kansas legislative session, which met Jan. 13 through Apr. 11, demanded significant attention and advocacy from KIFA.

Standing Against Anti-Transgender Legislation: A major focus was the fight against discriminatory legislation targeting transgender Kansans. Despite strong opposition from KIFA and our coalition partners, in February the legislature overrode Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s veto on SB 63, a comprehensive ban on gender-affirming care for minors. KIFA opposed this harmful bill and pledged ongoing support to youth and families who will be affected by the legislation. KIFA also actively opposed SB 76, sometimes referenced as the “pronoun bill,” which aimed to restrict the use of students’ preferred names and pronouns in schools. While it passed the Senate, advocacy in coalition with KIFA contributed to the bill not advancing further in the House. HB 2311, a bill which allows foster care placements with people who espouse “religious or moral” objections to LGBTQ+ folks, passed, was vetoed by the governor, then was passed by overriding the veto.

Advocating for Equitable Policies: KIFA engaged on a range of other critical issues. The organization opposed SB 19, seeking expanded vaccine exemptions. In public education, we opposed HB 2136, aiming to increase private school tax credits. The bill passed the House but failed in the Senate. In affordable housing, KIFA fought against HB 2119, which sought to repeal the Affordable Housing Tax Credit, and KIFA supported HB 2074 which would reinstate the Homestead Property Tax Refund for renters. Concerns about the judiciary led KIFA to oppose SCR 1611, a constitutional amendment regarding Supreme Court justice selection that will now appear on the August 2026 ballot. Additionally, KIFA advocated against SB 254, intended to deny in-state tuition to undocumented students. Later in the session, KIFA voiced strong opposition to SB 4, eliminating the grace period for mail ballots, which unfortunately passed over the governor’s veto.

Find a more in-depth End-of-Session Report posted to the KIFA website on Apr. 24.

The Witness Doesn’t End

As we move away from the just-concluded legislative session, KIFA’s attention is turning to a couple of really difficult and important issues: immigration and protecting Medicaid at the federal level. We’ll speak more about each of these issues, but briefly: we are part of a coalition working to oppose private-prison company CoreCivic’s attempts to turn their idle facility in Leavenworth into an ICE holding center and will be holding a prayer vigil/protest when a court hearing on the matter is held in May [Editor’s Note: update since written]. We are also part of a federal defense-of-Medicaid coalition working to stave off attempts to slash this vital element of our health care system which protects the neediest.

We also continue our full slate of speaking engagements, KIFA coffeehouses and other on-line meetings. May 27 was the 2025 KIFA Annual Event, which featured Amanda Tyler as keynote. Event promotion read: “We find ourselves in challenging times – perhaps the most challenging many of us have ever known. Yet together, the KIFA community is meeting the moment: showing up at the statehouse, preaching a message of justice from our pulpits, holding our leaders accountable, fighting White Christian Nationalism, and living up to the divine call to protect and advocate for the most vulnerable among us. With your help, and with God’s, KIFA is standing up for our sacred values in the midst of the challenge.”

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: May 2025

BUDGET RECONCILIATION ADVANCES VIA COMMITTEE | FEMA THREATS | ADVOCACY WITH COMPANION CHURCHES | HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA | TAX REFORMS | MIGRATION POLICY UPDATES

BUDGET RECONCILIATION ADVANCES VIA COMMITTEE: Individual committees in the House of Representatives have scheduled “mark up” dates to write up budget reconciliation text, with much happening the week of 5/12/2025. This comes after the House and Senate passed a shared budget resolution “blueprint” Apr. 14, which instructs committees to find “up-to” 2 trillion dollars in “pay-fors” for a wider tax cut package. A Call In Action Alert has been released to facilitate time-sensitive comments from the ELCA Advocacy Network to their representatives in this significant moment.

House and Senate Republicans have been at odds for weeks over the size of a tax cut package and whether it must be paid for with offsetting spending cuts. This intersects with several priority concerns in the ELCA, including:

• Considered cuts to Medicaid, including increasing work requirements for Able-Bodied Adults without Dependents, increasing federal-state cost-share for the program, or capping assistance for expanded Medicaid states.
• Potential reductions to SNAP and hunger federal funding, with some reports of seeking $230 billion in this area, possibly neutralizing future growth of the Thrifty Food Program and increasing the age limit for work requirements.
• Discussed $330 billion cut to federal student loan programs.
• Potential additional cuts to environmental programs that would roll back certain climate regulations (such as the fee on methane emissions and Environmental Protection Agency’s tailpipe emissions rule).
• Changes to Inflation Reduction Act’s tax credits intended to slow climate change and boost clean energy such as wind and solar power.

Why It Matters in the ELCA:

There are many reasons Lutherans are attending to our shared economic life. For example, the ELCA social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All distills: “Government is intended to serve God’s purposes by limiting or countering narrow economic interests and promoting the common good… Governing leaders are to be held accountable to God’s purposes: ‘May [they] judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice… May [they] defend the cause of the poor of the people’ (Psalm 72:2)” p. 11. Also, the ELCA social statement Caring for Creation states, “This church will favor proposals and actions that address environmental issues in a manner consistent with the principles of participation, solidarity, sufficiency, and sustainability” (p. 11).

What’s Next:

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated hopes that the House and Senate will find some compromise for a wider tax bill and send it to the president’s desk by July 4, but the GOP conference remains divided on whether they should cut spending even more or avoid cuts to critical low-income programs. ELCA advocacy staff shared Action Alerts on hunger, education, Medicaid and more over the last month, and will continue to encourage calls to action on priorities that impact the mission of our ministries as the committees deliberate text.

FEMA THREATS: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has reportedly created a plan to dismantle critical disaster response, recovery and resilience operations at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The reported plan comes after the administration paused $700 million in resiliency funds from the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. Media reports indicate that the agency will be decimated with the Atlantic hurricane season just six weeks away.

Why It Matters in the ELCA:

With extensive experience and investment through Lutheran Disaster Response and local involvement, the ELCA advocacy team issued an Action Alert to mobilize members to call upon their elected officials to express concern about cutting or dismantling federal disaster response.

What’s Next:

The FEMA Council the administration established through Executive Order remains active. According to a DHS press release (4/28/25), President Trump has appointed 13 new members to the Council. Membership of the committee is centered around Gulf Coast states, and several members have some form of emergency management experience. Overall, ELCA advocacy staff and partners assess that this shows our advocacy and organizing against the dismantlement of FEMA is working, which can be counted as a positive development. The existence of the council will, at least, slow the dismantling process down. Regardless, the existence of this council means that our advocacy around the recent FEMA Request for Information are going to be a lot more impactful.

• This situation is constantly evolving; on 5/8/25, acting FEMA chief Cameron Hilton was forced out after breaking rank with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and President Trump, and new FEMA head David Richardson told FEMA staff he would “run right over” anyone that resists changes, and that all delegation of authority in the agency is immediately suspended according to Reuters.

ADVOCACY WITH COMPANION CHURCHES: This month, Dr. Paul Mmbando, the Director of Health Programs of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), was hosted by ELCA D.C.-based staff and met with several congressional offices and committee staff to discuss the lifesaving importance of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). He spoke of ways ELCT’s PEPFAR project known as Kizazi Hodari, funded through USAID, was instrumental in helping orphaned and vulnerable children in northern Tanzania thrive. The ELCT’s Kizazi Hodari project is one of many that has been prematurely terminated by the Trump administration due to change of U.S. policy.

• Through facilitation of Daudi Msseemmaa, ELCA Regional Representative to East Africa, Dr. Godson Maro, Chief of Party for the ELCT’s Kizazi Hodari program shared insights on the lifesaving ministry and it’s truncation through present U.S. policy in Episode 4 of Here I Pod from ELCA Advocacy.

Why It Matters in the ELCA:

Companion churches are a critical part of our church and of our advocacy efforts. They bring unique voices and perspectives to policy decisions. Many members of Congress are eager to hear from partners on the ground, who are often the ones experiencing the impact of policy decisions made far from their own communities. Dr. Mmbando found an audience that was keen to hear of ELCT’s experience with U.S. government foreign assistance programs as Congress charts a way forward. As a church that fosters relationships based on accompaniment, such connections are critical to faith-based advocacy.

What’s Next:

Since Dr. Mmbando’s visit, there have been follow-up conversations with congressional staff about ways Congress can continue supporting global health programs like PEPFAR and restore projects that have been abruptly terminated. ELCA advocacy staff will continue to engage these offices to ensure sustainability of these programs and encourage our advocate network to message Congress to restore funding. An Action Alert is available.

HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA: Since Mar. 2, after the collapse of the ceasefire, the Israeli government has continued to block humanitarian aid and most provision of water into the Gaza Strip. At this juncture, most food stocks at UN and International Nongovernmental Organizations (INGOs) warehouses inside the Gaza Strip are depleted, and obtaining water is becoming extremely difficult.

The UN now estimates that Gaza is facing its worst humanitarian crisis since the start of the conflict on Oct., 2023. Provision of healthcare and emergency medical assistance in Gaza is now at its lowest ebb, with key medical supplies depleted and a lack of blood supplies. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bombing of the Episcopal affiliated al-Ahli Arab hospital on Apr. 13, 2025, further degraded the ability to provide healthcare services in North Gaza. Evacuation orders and the imposition of “military zones” in the Gaza Strip by the IDF has put 70% of the strip off limits to Gaza residents, cramming the Strip’s entire population into the remaining 30% of available land. It is estimated that at least 420,000 Gazans have been displaced since the ceasefire collapse in March.

Why It Matters in the ELCA:

The critical situation in Gaza and the ongoing conflict continues to directly impact the ELCA’s Lutheran siblings in the Holy Land, in addition to putting the wider Christian community of the Holy Land at further physical risk. The conflict is also further eroding and destroying the interfaith relationship between all three Abrahamic faiths, which is impacting the ELCA’s interfaith relationships here in the United States.

What’s Next:

ELCA advocacy staff accompanied an U.S.-Egypt Dialogue delegation to their congressional and State Department meetings during the week of Apr. 28. During these meetings ELCA staff including the Executive Director of ELCA Service & Justice brought up the need for the United States to put pressure on the Israeli government to lift the blockade on Gaza and allow humanitarian aid into the enclave. Additionally, the issue of the bombing of the al-Ahli Arab Hospital on Palm Sunday was news to several members of Congress who requested additional information about the situation with the hospital and about the overall situation with healthcare in Gaza. ELCA advocacy staff will continue to follow up and provide this information and work to pursue a bipartisan letter from Congress to the White House demanding to understand the White House’s strategy for protecting the Christian community in the Holy Land moving forward.

TAX REFORMS: As Congress considers cuts to programs, House Ways and Means and Senate Finance is simultaneously considering tax cuts to bundle together in a wider reconciliation bill.

Why It Matters in the ELCA:

The social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All references the need for a just tax code: “Paying taxes to enable government to carry out these and other purposes is an appropriate expression of our stewardship in society, rather than something to be avoided. Government often falls short of these responsibilities. Its policies can harm the common good and especially the most vulnerable in society. Governing leaders are to be held accountable to God’s purposes: “May [they] judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice… May [they] defend the cause of the poor of the people” (Psalm 72:2).

What’s Next:

Though the majority of tax relief is expected to benefit businesses, committee leaders have been approached by a large variety of proposals, including expanding the Child Tax Credit and passing new perks to low-income housing development. Earlier in April, Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) reintroduced legislation to expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program, estimated to help create up to 1.6 million affordable homes over a decade by increasing the total tax credits allocated to states and easing some public financing requirements. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers continue to debate the inclusion of an expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC), which could involve an inflation value increase which would make the credit permanent, adding a baby-bonus (an explored way by the administration to increase the country’s birth rate), and more. A variety of lawmakers are hoping introduced tax bills from this spring will be included in the wider reconciliation package. ELCA advocacy staff shared an Action Alert on the CTC last month and will continue to track these bills as they advance in Congress.

MIGRATION POLICY UPDATES: While the position of ELCA Program Director for Migration Policy is unfilled, monitor @ELCAammparo on Facebook and the ELCA AMMPARO Blog for current activity.

Receive monthly Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http://elca.org/advocacy/signup , and learn more from elca.org/advocacy .

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director

Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: March 2025

FEDERAL STAFF WORK REDUCTIONS | BUDGET RESOLUTION CUTS IN ENERGY PROGRAMS | U.S. FOREIGN ASSISTANCE FREEZE | AUGUSTA VICTORIA HOSPITAL | IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ROADMAP

FEDERAL STAFF WORK REDUCTIONS: The Trump administration is implementing widespread workforce reductions across federal agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk. Not only are many in ELCA congregations who have been employed in public service positions reeling from changes, these cuts directly impact vulnerable populations served by federal agencies. The process has been chaotic, with some terminations quickly reversed at agencies like the Indian Health Service and Department of Agriculture. Experts describe the approach as using a “sledgehammer” rather than a “scalpel” to downsize the government.

Why It Matters in the ELCA:

Lutherans recognize public service as a worthy calling and that public servants are to be treated with respect and dignity. People directly impacted by such changes in federal agencies include people experiencing homelessness, those dependent on affordable housing programs, farmers, Native American communities and most groups identified as priorities in social ministry work. These reductions, paired with continued backlogs of frozen grants and federal aid, threaten essential services that align with the church’s efforts to support our neighbors. Ongoing disruptions in federal services continue to cause crises, particularly in rural communities.

What’s Next:

The administration’s workforce reduction efforts will likely continue, but with ongoing reversals where compromise of critical functions is recognized or litigated. Housing and homelessness programs face particular uncertainty with proposed 84% staff reductions in HUD’S Office for Community Planning and Development. Witness in Society staff are connecting with Republican leadership in Congress to push back against the measures, and wider efforts to restructure critical funding streams.

BUDGET RESOLUTION CUTS IN ENERGY PROGRAMS: In attempts to advance the priorities of the new administration, Congress is working on a budget reconciliation package that will include cuts to programs that will significantly impact health care, hunger and other aspects of our communities, including energy programs. The Senate Budget Committee passed a budget resolution that would provide additional funds for defense spending, border security and immigration enforcement, and it would likely repeal many of the energy-related tax credits and other provisions enacted in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). House Republicans are aiming to move one massive reconciliation bill that, in addition to the policies included in the slimmer Senate resolution, would extend the corporate and individual tax cuts in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) and would likely propose significant cuts to safety net programs, including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as “food stamps”) and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Why It Matters in the ELCA:

Passage of the IRA led to the largest investment the United States had ever made to address climate change and care for God’s creation. Included in the IRA were clean energy tax credits that individuals or churches could use to help the transition to clean energy (solar panels) or more efficient appliances. Various ELCA churches have made investments in these building upgrades while accounting for a 30% financial contribution from the federal government. With the potential for these tax credits to be cut, some congregations could be in the precarious situation of bearing the unexpected burden of climate-friendly technology expenses that were supposed to be covered by tax incentives.

What’s Next:

Congressional leadership will be working to advance some form of reconciliation package since passage in the House of the budget resolution blueprint. With both the House and Senate resolutions passed, committees in each chamber are conferencing legislative language to fulfill the instructions set out in the budget resolution. ELCA advocacy staff will be working with interfaith partners and coalitions to track the measure as it advances.

U.S. FOREIGN ASSISTANCE FREEZE: The Trump administration’s pause of U.S. foreign assistance and stop-work orders largely remains in place. Although some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that implement U.S. foreign assistance programs have received waivers for specific “lifesaving” projects, many of them have not been able to restart these programs for various reasons. Reasons include the fact that their contracting officers at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have been fired in addition to inaccessibility of the payment system used to process funds to these organizations. Moreover, the majority of humanitarian and development programs do not qualify for a waiver because they don’t fit the narrow definition of a “lifesaving” program per the guidance from administration officials at Department of State. As of Feb. 28, 90% of foreign assistance programs have been terminated, including those that received a waiver to proceed with work.

Why It Matters in the ELCA:

The U.S. foreign assistance 90-day freeze has already caused significant harm to people all around the world, including displaced populations living in camps and folks who depend on U.S.-financed medicines to treat conditions such as HIV. As stated in the ELCA social statement Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All, “The world is the whole household of God that economic life is intended to serve. The Spirit of God expands our vision and transforms our priorities,” and we recognize the critical importance of U.S. foreign aid to communities most in need around the world.

What’s Next:

ELCA Witness in Society staff continue to meet with congressional offices to share concerns about the negative consequences this funding freeze is causing around the world, including its impact on the work of our church partners. Recently a federal judge at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the Trump administration could not freeze foreign aid funds that predate his inauguration and instructed Trump administration officials to release frozen funds by midnight, Feb. 26. This was followed by the Supreme Court‘s pause of the lower court order while it considers the Trump administration request to block the lower court’s ruling.

AUGUSTA VICTORIA HOSPITAL:  The U.S. government foreign funding freeze continues to keep monies already appropriated for the Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) in limbo. Additionally, all funding from the U.S. government for Palestine has been suspended, and it is unclear if any new funding assistance for AVH or Palestinian initiatives writ large will be approved by the current administration. Without a solution to this financial issue, AVH will eventually have to reduce the number of cancer patients they can treat this year.

Why It Matters in the ELCA:

AVH, which is run by Lutheran World Federation, has wide support in the ELCA including engagement in advocacy on the hospital’s behalf. Support between ELCA membership and AVH is also evident with many ELCA members aware of the hospital’s work and positive impact on the lives of Palestinians.

What’s Next:

ELCA Witness in Society staff conducted a week of advocacy (Feb. 24-28) on Capitol Hill with a delegation from the LWF that included the CEO of AVH and LWF’s representative to Jerusalem. The advocacy week resulted in meeting with almost 20 congressional offices, including direct engagement with U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and with staff of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office. Building on the work that was done, ELCA advocacy staff will continue to engage with Congress to find a way to unfreeze funding to AVH and work to request additional funding be provided to AVH on a bipartisan basis, as has been done for the past 15 years.

IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ROADMAP: In late February, the House of Representatives and Senate passed budget blueprints to allow trillions in tax cuts and massively increase immigration enforcement spending as proposed by President Trump. The House’s budget resolution proposes more than $300 billion in military and immigration enforcement spending; the Senate’s has $340 billion. The budget resolution lays a roadmap for increases to border wall construction, detention and deportation across the nation. To meet deficit targets, Congress may propose tax-and-spending policy changes such as additional restrictions for safety net programs for which certain immigrants, including children, pregnant people and green card holders aged 5 and older, are eligible.

Why It Matters in the ELCA:

Deliberately removing access to social safety net programs which certain eligible immigrants may make use of in emergencies will leave these persons more vulnerable to food, housing and medical insecurity. Lutherans have consistently advocated for immigration reforms to ensure a balance is met across security concerns and human dignity. The ELCA Economic Life social message affirms the role of government in helping meet the human needs of eligible immigrants.

What’s Next:

Various pieces of legislation have been floated as options during federal budget reconciliation, like the Secure the Border Act (H.R.2). Lawmakers will consider a slate of options in each committee of jurisdiction. Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law a year-long stopgap funding bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), to extend funding for the federal government through September, but budget negotiations continue.

Receive monthly Advocacy Connections directly by becoming part of the ELCA Advocacy network – http://elca.org/advocacy/signup , and learn more from elca.org/advocacy .