This weekend, the Senate is expected to vote on President Trump’s “Big Beautiful” budget bill (H.R.1).
Nothing is “beautiful” about this morally bankrupt budget proposal. As one advocate put it, it is better described as a “blueprint for cruelty.” If passed, it will do enormous harm to so many of us – working families, vulnerable children, immigrant communities, and many others.
Budget Bill Impact
In short, this budget cuts what feeds, heals, and powers us, all to fund what divides, imprisons, and impoverishes us.
In a statement to Senate staffers, physician Helen Pope provided a powerful, stark example of the true human costs of this bill: “If Medicaid is cut, my patients will die. I realize I am being dramatic. It is a dramatic situation…They are humans who are doing their best. Please don’t allow them to suffer more.”
With the dignity and well-being of so many at stake, we have been inspired by the ground swell of mobilization from ordinary people to stop it.
As we heard from Reverend Senator Raphael Warnock (GA) this week, this constituent advocacy is vital.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how important your voice really is, and I mean that,” Sen. Warnock told FCNL’s Bridget Moix and a group of faith partners lobbying against the bill on Capitol Hill this week.
“I am here doing the work, trying to make the case for the best in the American tradition… but what is equally important is that the voices of ordinary citizens be heard in this moment.”
There’s still time to make your voice heard!
We’re up against enormous pressure on the Senate to pass the bill before July 4. But the voting margins are tight, and our senators need to hear that there is strong opposition from their constituents to these cruel policies.
Every action counts and can make a difference until the final vote is cast.
Elsewhere
In Aftermath of Iran Strikes, Congress Needs to Assert Authority
Following last weekend’s illegal and immoral U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, we welcomed the tentative ceasefire that began between Iran, Israel and the United States. But true peace will require sustained dialogue, accountability, and diplomacy.
The situation remains uncertain, and Congress must assert its constitutional authority and pass the Iran War Powers Resolution to ensure that there is no further unauthorized US military participation in this war.
We anticipate a vote in the Senate tonight on the War Powers Resolution. Make your voice heard that we want No War with Iran!
Israeli Military Kills Palestinian Civilians Seeking Food Aid in Gaza
We are appalled that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli military in Gaza as they look for food aid from the new Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid sites. People are desperate and starving because of the severe lack of humanitarian aid entering Gaza. The only way forward to stop the suffering is with a permanent ceasefire and immediate, unfettered humanitarian aid access into Gaza.
Violence Interrupter Programs Under Threat
For the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger, FCNL’s Katherine Jones breaks down how violence interrupter programs work to address gun violence in Mississippi and beyond– and how they are under threat from the Trump administration.
Supreme Court Rulings Permit Trump Immigration Cruelty
In two procedural rulings, the Supreme Court permitted cruel Trump immigration measures to move forward while lawsuits continue.
On Monday, the court permitted the Trump administration to swiftly remove immigrants by force to countries that they are not from, where they could risk torture or mistreatment, while their court cases continue.
Today, the Supreme Court blocked nationwide orders stopping the Trump administration from trying to end birthright citizenship with an executive order. Judicial orders may still stop the Trump administration on a limited basis and the executive order will not go into effect for 30 days.
This is not the end of the story for either policy. But it is deeply discouraging that the Supreme Court is failing to check some of the worst, most illegitimate immigration policies of this administration.
