Update

During what is quickly becoming the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and disempowered. With speculation, contradictions, and Twitter innuendo flying, one can lose sight of the bigger picture.

As we enter day 20 of a partial government shutdown Hannah Graf Evans, FCNL’s Legislative Representative for Immigration and Refugee Policy offers an update.

On January 3, the 116th Congress was sworn into office. A new congress means new opportunities for advocacy. Here’s a look at what our Immigration and Refugee Policy team will focus on this year.

The first bill out of the House (H.R. 1) is a major overhaul of our democracy.

The 116th Congress will have new opportunities to advance climate solutions. As we begin a new year, I’m reflecting on the biggest climate developments in 2018 and thinking about what comes next as we work toward an earth restored.

The debate over how Congress will fund immigration enforcement culminated with the president opting for a partial government shutdown rather than signing a bill with less than $5 billion for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

The House and Senate have both passed the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act (S.1158). Now it goes to the president’s desk to become law.

The Senate recently voted to advance legislation that will end American participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. As of press time, the Senate still needs to hold a final vote on this issue, but it is expected before the end of the 115th Congress.

As House and Senate negotiators were reportedly nearing a deal on the farm bill, some 400 Quakers and friends lobbied hard to ensure that the final bill includes strong protections for SNAP (food stamps). They were in Washington, DC, for FCNL’s Annual Meeting and Quaker Public Policy Institute, Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, 2018.

The FIRST STEP Act (S. 756) is similar to the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, a bill FCNL has supported for a number of years. It will bring more fairness to our criminal justice system through the reductions of mandatory minimum sentencing, and will aid reentry through recidivism reduction programs.