As the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts our lives and occupies the bulk of our attention, the status of a key pact—the New START nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia—hangs in the air.
The FCNL community is grieving the loss of our Friend and activist, Mimosa Thomas. She passed away on April 26, 2020. Her love for her border community in the Rio Grande Valley led her to grassroots organizing.
Congress passed another bill to blunt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on April 23. Unlike the prior bills that Congress passed, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 266) is very limited. It includes $484 billion in funding to replenish the small business loan program, hospitals, and COVID-19 testing.
On April 21, the President announced he would temporarily halt certain immigration through executive order. As a Quaker organization, FCNL rejects using this crisis as leverage to further cruel and harmful policies (immigration or anything else).
The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will be felt for months to come. Congress has taken some good initial steps to expand key safety net programs and help stabilize our economy. But to ensure the wellbeing of our communities and country in the long term, lawmakers must provide assistance for as long as it’s needed, not just during the initial spike of the pandemic.
When I was young, I always associated Earth Day with tie dye. That’s because every year, my school would gather giddy children in the gymnasium, and we would dye shirts with every color combination imaginable before going to our respective clean-up projects.
These are difficult times for everyone. But immigrant communities are facing particularly severe risk and hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The profound crisis our nation faces as a result of COVID-19 may seem like good reason to focus on what is closest to home. It’s painful enough to witness and share the suffering of those immediately around us without looking any further afield.
Good, digital tools are so important in this moment. They allow us to connect across the miles, and work toward the world we seek no matter where we are. That’s why I’m so excited to show you FCNL’s new digital action center.
Working on Capitol Hill is exhilarating, rewarding and at times suffocating. So, when I traveled to coastal Georgia to visit family at the end of February, it was a welcome respite from the constant political news cycle.
Stay informed and stay active