What a year 2025 has been! Amid an onslaught of destructive policies that has tested our ability to keep hope alive, I’ve been overjoyed by the resilience and persistence of the Advocacy Teams network.
While our hope may have wavered at times, our commitment to this work has been constant. A record nearly one thousand Advocacy Team members lobbied this year, 449 times, and published 71 times in the media. Our advocates have given me great hope.
While we have not accomplished everything we have hoped for, we have made historic progress. FCNL and the Advocacy Teams played a major role in the reintroduction of the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act in March. A majority of House Democrats — 124 members — signed onto H.Res. 473, calling for urgent humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. FIfty-eight Representatives have co-sponsored the Block the Bombs Act (H.R. 3565). And our advocacy contributed to the historic Senate vote this summer in which 27 senators, a majority of Democrats, voted to block offensive weapons to Israel. The movement to send Aid, Not Arms to Gaza has shaped the conversation on Capitol Hill.
The movement to send Aid, Not Arms to Gaza has shaped the conversation on Capitol Hill.
Each year Advocacy Teams grow more sophisticated. Across the country, teams have built power in new ways in their communities. Teams in Chapel Hill, NC and New York state regularly lobbied in coalition with other local groups. Teams in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and California strengthened their advocacy through clergy sign-on letters and regular lobby visits with faith leaders.
And last but certainly not least, Advocacy Team members are now in all 50 states and the District of Columbia! As we celebrate this incredible milestone in the tenth year of the program, we now turn our attention to growing existing teams and launching new teams to cover more congressional districts.
In 2026, Advocacy Teams will be lobbying to End Unlawful Boat Strikes and Prevent War in Venezuela as our main campaign and we’ll continue to advocate for Aid, Not Arms as our flex issue.
