Update

On this day 18 years ago, President George W. Bush signed into law the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).

Ever since the 2013 Supreme Court decision of Shelby County v. Holder, it has been far too easy for voting discrimination to occur. This troubling trend is what led the House Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on Sept. 10 that focused on voting discrimination and a crucial piece of legislation: The Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA).

On Sept. 10, FCNL joined 61 other groups from across the political spectrum to urge Congress to reassert its authority over war by repealing the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). The 2002 Iraq AUMF is what allowed the U.S. to levy war against the Saddam Hussein regime. Now, 17 years after its enactment, it is long past time to put this law to rest.

If the Advocacy Teams program had a mantra, it would be this: Never stop strengthening your team’s relationship with congressional offices.

Recently, I joined Illinois Rep Danny Davis to talk about lifting the Pell Grant ban and giving people more access to education. Congress has introduced a bill - the bipartisan REAL Act (H.R.2168 /S.1074) - which would restore access to Pell Grants. But it is not moving as fast as planned and needs some helpful pressure for final passage.

As Congress resumes its work on Monday, Sept. 9, the House Judiciary committee is expected to take up three separate bills addressing different facets of gun violence. Taken together, these bills would represent a substantial step towards reducing the obscenely high rate of gun violence in the United States.

On August 29, the Trump administration announced yet another plan to lift regulations on methane emissions.

The Amazon is burning. Fires are blazing at record rates through the carbon-rich rain forest, known as the “lungs of the earth.”

To say that last month was hot is an understatement.

It has been one week since I said goodbye to the 20 young adult organizers who make up FCNL’s Advocacy Corps. After 10 days of training in Washington, DC, they are now in their communities organizing on a tragically relevant issue: gun violence.