from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director
Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: October 2026
H.R. 1 SNAP COST SHIFT IMPLEMENTATION BEGINS | EXCLUSIONARY PROPOSED CHANGES FOR THE 2030 U.S. CENSUS | DEAL REACHED ON ENERGY PERMITTING REFORM IN SENATE | FUNDING SHIFT THREATENS LIFESAVING HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS | VIOLENCE IN THE WEST BANK AGAINST PALESTINIANS CONTINUES TO RISE
H.R. 1 SNAP COST SHIFT IMPLEMENTATION BEGINS: H.R. 1 mandates that a portion of the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program’s (SNAP) administrative costs drop from 50% to 25%, and that the state cost share increases from 50% to 75%. These changes are to be implemented by states starting at the beginning of October, which is the start of FY27. The rule was posted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and made available for public comment through early September. With most states operating on short legislative sessions that begin in early 2027, or operating on two-year budgets, they will not have time to amend spending to account for these massively increased financial burdens to keep participants in SNAP. Combined with upcoming changes to work requirements, eligibility, and benefit costs, states will continue to have residents removed from SNAP participation.
Why It Matters in the ELCA:
Each proposed change to executive programs is open to public comment and must include a Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA). RIAs are meant to provide an evidence-based assessment of the effects of the proposed rule. The ELCA submitted a public comment, which can be found here. Part of the public comment submitted by the ELCA notes that the RIA released with this ruling based its findings on inaccurate evaluations. It reads: “USDA’s proposed rule minimizes the financial and operational burdens the cost-sharing requirements will impose on states, and ultimately, the people SNAP is intended to serve.”
What’s Next:
The ELCA advocacy team will continue to push Congress for legislation that will either significantly delay or reverse the implementation of this ruling and others as currently mandated by H.R. 1 which have significant impact on nutrition assistance to the most in need among us.
Also being monitored are related developments in the Farm Bill. ELCA advocacy will continue to advocate for a Farm Bill attentive to administrative cost shifts that allows states additional time to negotiate state budgets and reduce error rates to mitigate the risk of states cutting or dropping the SNAP program altogether.
EXCLUSIONARY PROPOSED CHANGES FOR THE 2030 U.S. CENSUS: A recent rule proposal from the Census Bureau was published in the Federal Register with an atypically tight public consideration and comment period, extended briefly to Nov. 2. The concerning proposal includes two major changes regarding who would be counted and what data is collected ahead of the 2030 U.S. Census.
Currently, all people living in the United States are counted, regardless of citizenship or immigration status, based on the “usual residence” standard which counts individuals where they live and sleep most of the time. One major change pertains to “usual residence,” which in the proposed rule would be redefined more restrictively by incorporating factors such as immigration status and tax records into determinations. As a result, certain noncitizens could be excluded from the census count, potentially impacting the distribution, or apportionment, of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The second change would prohibit questions regarding race, ethnicity or sexual orientation from appearing on the short-form decennial census questionnaire. Eliminating questions related to race and ethnicity would significantly reduce the availability of demographic data used to enforce civil rights laws, monitor racial and ethnic disparities, allocate public resources and inform policymaking.
Amplifying concern is that these changes will set the population baselines through 2040, informing distribution of federal funds, potentially excluding so-called “hard to count” persons including those residing in rural areas, young children, individuals living with disabilities, students, LGBTQIA+ communities, people experiencing homelessness, individuals whose primary language is other than English, Indigenous communities, and racial and ethnic minorities. This action will also exclude the many temporary legal residents who live, work, study and worship in our communities, and for the communities themselves which benefit from a complete and accurate census count.
Why It Matters in the ELCA:
The ELCA was an official partner of the 2020 Census, with participation grounded in the social teaching that civic representation and governmental protection belong to all residents living in a community, regardless of legal documentation. “Civic participation cannot be fully realized without confronting the structural barriers that limit access for many. These barriers, which function to silence voices and restrict public engagement, disproportionately affect already marginalized communities and contradict both democratic ideals and the biblical call to seek justice” (ELCA social statement Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All, pg. 65).
What’s Next:
With only 33 days initially allowed for public consideration, strong public opposition has secured an additional 30 days for comment which now extends to Nov. 2. Witness in Society is currently drafting a comment for the Federal Register to publicly oppose the concerning changes, as well as making available a comment entry to the ELCA advocacy network through the ELCA Action Center to amplify opposition to these changes to ensure that resources appropriately go where they are needed most.
DEAL REACHED ON ENERGY PERMITTING REFORM IN SENATE: A bipartisan group of senators, including the leaders of the Environment and Public Works and Energy and Natural Resources committees, released a large legislative package meant to streamline many permitting processes across the country. The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA) is the Senate’s latest version of permitting reform, an effort that has been in the works for the last four years.
Why It Matters in the ELCA:
The ELCA calls upon individuals, agencies, organizations, corporations and governments to pursue goals, policies and practices to “promote a just transition from fossil fields to a clean-energy future that leaves no one behind, through public investments in economic development and job retraining programs (ELCA social message “Earth’s Climate Crisis,” p. 14). Permitting reform has attracted bipartisan interest over the last four years as the arena for current energy debates. While lawmakers disagree about which energy sources the federal government should prioritize, they all agree that permitting reform is needed so the United States can meet a growing energy demand.
What’s Next:
Supporters and critics of this bill argue differing perspectives: that it will either benefit clean energy buildout or further entrench the United States in fossil fuel dependance. As debates continue, the ELCA’s advocacy staff will closely watch for a committee markup to further discern how this legislation may promote or hinder a clean energy transition.
FUNDING SHIFT THREATENS LIFESAVING HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS: Sep. 30 marked the end of the U.S. fiscal year, the deadline by which federal agencies must obligate or expend appropriated funds before they expire and revert to the Treasury. Under the current administration, there has been increasing reluctance to expend funds that Congress appropriated. Appropriated funds for international relief and development programs have been significantly impacted. Recently, the State Department moved $2.5 billion previously allocated for global health and development assistance to be used for closing out of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), including contract terminations, personnel separations, facility closures and other administrative closeout expenses. This is money that was intended for treatment and prevention of infectious diseases and for maternal and child health programs.
Why It Matters in the ELCA:
ELCA advocacy includes working to ensure that funds appropriated by Congress are allocated and implemented as intended. Some ELCA companions and the Lutheran World Federation have used these funds for life-saving ministries. While debate continues over the legality of this funding shift, the administration’s decision to redirect $2.5 billion from lifesaving global health and development programs to administrative closeout costs is likely to have serious humanitarian consequences, including:
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- Disruptions in prenatal care, vaccinations and nutrition services for pregnant mothers and young children.
- Reduced distribution of malaria medicine and diagnostic testing supplies.
- Weakened capacity to respond to disease outbreaks, natural disasters and conflict-related emergencies.
- Reduced access to antiretroviral medicine for people living with HIV.
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What’s Next:
Both the Republican Chair and Democratic Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee have voiced opposition to this funding shift and called on the administration to use the funds in accordance with congressional intent. ELCA advocacy staff will continue meeting with congressional and administration leaders to press for the restoration of these resources to global health and development programs.
VIOLENCE IN THE WEST BANK AGAINST PALESTINIANS CONTINUES TO RISE: Violence in the West Bank against Palestinians continues to rise. Attacks against Palestinians are now reported daily – with violence emanating from both the Israeli security forces and settlers. On Sep. 29, Israeli settlers entered the neighborhood of Al-Tireh, Ramallah city, planting Israeli flags in numerous public places and pelting cars and homes with stones. Ramallah City is deep within Area A under the control of the Palestinian Authority, and the entrance of settlers into the city of Ramallah itself without the protection of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) shows how high the level of impunity currently is, and how fully supportive the current Israeli government if of the violent actions of the settlers.
In response to these attacks and the plans by the Israeli government to move forward with the construction of the E1 settlement (a massive housing project that illegally takes more Palestinian land and would completely bisect the West Bank into two already atomized pieces of land), there are two new bills in the House and the Senate designed to push back on these developments. The Senate bill focuses on imposing sanctions on individuals and entities that help develop the E1 settlement. The House bill focuses on sanctioning individuals and entities that support settlement expansion in the West Bank and Gaza writ large. While both bills have yet to receive bipartisan support, they provide a legislative basis through which to curb settlement expansion.
Why It Matters in the ELCA:
The ELCA remains committed to support legislative and policy mechanisms that protect and ensure a viable pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood. These types of bills support those aspirations.
What’s Next:
ELCA advocacy staff will determine what kind of strategies can be employed to support additional congressional co-sponsorship of these bills moving forward and then will discuss with relevant congressional offices the re-introduction of both pieces of legislation in the 120th Congress in January 2027.
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