Update

As I write this, the people of Yemen are experiencing a horrific humanitarian crisis. The Saudi-led war on the Yemeni people has contributed to widespread malnutrition. Preventable diseases like cholera and diphtheria are claiming lives at alarming rates. The U.S. has been contributing military and intelligence resources to the Saudi-led war.

Mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and multi-generational families joined us to lobby to protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from cuts during FCNL’s 2018 Annual Meeting. Friends have shared the practice of advocating for peace and social justice with every new generation.

Spring Lobby Weekend (SLW) changed the course of my life. I hope you’ll give it the same chance for yours.

FCNL remains committed to seeking reduced spending and emphasis on detention and border militarization. We urge members of Congress not to use current historic levels of enforcement spending as the starting baseline for upcoming negotiations.

This was an extraordinary week. We witnessed exciting movement on several issues we care about—and avoided another government shutdown. The week then concluded with President Donald Trump’s worrisome declaration of a national emergency to build his expanded border wall.

Just like last year, President Donald Trump slashed funding for key peacebuilding accounts in his budget request. And just like last year, Congress rejected his cuts.

Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) introduced a bill to repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (H.R. 1274). A bipartisan group of 46 representatives joined Rep. Lee to cosponsor the bill.

Congress has until Friday to pass the remaining spending bills and avert another government shutdown. A bipartisan bicameral group of lawmakers were tasked with coming up with a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security. They are right up against the deadline for coming up with an agreement.

Which Donald Trump appeared on the floor of the House of Representatives on Feb. 5? Was it the belligerent president who threatened “fire and fury” against North Korea? Or the anti-interventionist president who called the Iraq war a “big, fat mistake”?

In this divisive and toxic political environment, it is rare for our political parties to agree on anything of substance – and even rarer for them to admit they agree. But here at FCNL, we are always looking for common ground that leads toward a world without war or the threat of war.