| | | | | | | | House Plan to Avert Government
Shutdown Passes | By a vote of 366-34 with one lawmaker voting present, the House has overwhelmingly passed a bill that averts a government shutdown hours before the government runs out of funding. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said earlier Friday that the new spending plan does not include President-elect Donald Trump’s demand to suspend the debt limit. The legislation would extend current fiscal levels until mid-March, provide $110 billion in relief to help natural-disaster survivors and aid farmers, and grant an extension for the farm bill, which must be reauthorized. The bill now goes to the Senate. | | | | | Deadline for FEMA Assistance Approaching: Churches and Faith Communities Apply Now! Churches and faith communities impacted by Tropical Storm Helene are reminded that the deadline to apply for FEMA assistance is January 7, 2025. FEMA’s Public Assistance program offers grants to support eligible private nonprofits, including houses of worship, in covering emergency costs and repairing or rebuilding infrastructure damaged by the storm. If your congregation or faith-based organization qualifies, you can apply for Public Assistance grants through the Grants Portal. After submitting your request, FEMA and North Carolina Emergency Management will review your application and follow up with additional steps. Funding is available for debris removal and emergency protective measures in 39 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, with 100% of costs covered through March 27, 2025. Permanent work grants for repairing facilities such as buildings, utilities, and community spaces are available for 26 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Faith communities are also encouraged to share this information with individuals who may have experienced disaster-related damage. Homeowners and renters have until January 7, 2025, to apply for federal assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov. | | | El Paso, TX Extends Migrant Emergency Aid | | Migrant children from different Latin American countries rest on cots inside the Casa del Refugiado, or The House of Refugee, a center opened by the Annunciation House to help the large flow of migrants being released by the United States Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in El Paso. (Photo by Paul Ratje / AFP) (Photo credit should read PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images)
El Paso Extends Migrant Emergency Aid Due to Fears that Federal Funding Will Dry Up During Next Administration
The City of El Paso has extended an emergency ordinance to allocate municipal resources designated for managing migrant arrivals, especially as federal aid faces uncertainty under the incoming Trump administration. The news comes just weeks after El Paso County announced the impending closure of its Migrant Support Services Center at the end of the year, highlighting the challenges local authorities face in responding to fluctuating migration levels. The El Paso City Council unanimously approved this week measures to continue funding migrant services and ensure reimbursement for related expenses. Federal funding through the Biden administration's Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), which has provided $39.15 million since 2021, is set to expire on December 31, with $13.83 million still available. | | | | Biden-Harris Administration Releases First-Ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate On December 12, the White House released the first-ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate. The Strategy was developed through a whole-of-government collaboration with a broad range of civil society partners to describe and address the bias, discrimination, and threats Muslim and Arab Americans have long faced. Over the past year, this initiative has become even more important as threats against American Muslim and Arab communities have spiked. In October 2023, 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi, an American Muslim boy of Palestinian descent, was viciously killed in his home in Illinois and over the last year, there have been other grievous attacks on Muslim and Arab Americans. The Strategy contains more than 100 Executive Branch Actions and more than 100 Calls to Action to every sector of society to prevent and address such violent attacks and to ensure that Muslim and Arab Americans enjoy the liberties and opportunities that are the bedrock of our country. With this initiative, we are creating a path for progress, in partnership with all levels of government, civil society, and the private sector, both now and over the long term.
Read the full strategy here. | | | Franciscan Action Network Partners to
Co-host Faith in Democracy Interfaith Vigil | | | | On January 5, 2025, from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Eastern (1:00–2:00 p.m. Pacific) Franciscan Action Network and Faith in Peace Concerts will co-host the third annual Faith in Democracy interfaith prayer vigil with our cosponsors, which will bring together faith leaders from several traditions to reflect on how our sacred texts and culture can guide us as we begin this crucial year.
The event will be hybrid — held in person on the US Capitol grounds in Washington, DC, and live streamed on FAN’s YouTube channel.
As people of faith, we are called to act as peacemakers and bridge-builders. We will begin 2025 by calling on all Americans to respect and improve our democracy as the best way to resolve political differences in our country nonviolently. The events of January 6, 2021, continue to divide Americans, which is of particular concern as we enter a year of important national elections amidst ongoing polarization.
For more information, click here.
Please join us to pray, sing, and reaffirm our commitment to live out our Franciscan values in 2025. | | | DHS Announces $210M to Protect Faith-Based Institutions, Nonprofits | The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it will distribute $210 million in Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funds through the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the second tranche of additional funding that the Biden-Harris Administration secured to protect faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations against targeted attacks. The $210 million in additional funds is a portion of the $390 million included in the fiscal year 2024 National Security Supplemental, a key priority of the Administration as it continues to intensify its efforts to combat the dramatic increase in hate crimes and other forms of targeted violence against faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations. The first tranche was made available in June 2024. In total for fiscal year 2024, the Administration has secured $664 million for the NSGP, more than double last year’s $305 million appropriation. | | | | Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Announces New Documentary, Presence and Witness, on Fiftieth Year Anniversary | | | Click above to watch the documentary. | | | | | by Ren Martin, North Carolina Council of Churches Eco-Justice Connection Program Coordinator
It has been two years since I began working with the North Carolina Council of Churches, and I can genuinely say that all of the passion and support I have received has strengthened my commitment to the social justice movement. As my time working at the Council comes to a close this year, I would like to reflect on the achievements we have made together. From lobbying on Capitol Hill to marching in the streets of NYC, the two and a half years I’ve dedicated to working at the Council’s Eco-Justice Connection (EJC) initiative have been extraordinary. I still vividly remember the first event I attended, during the blistering summer heat, it was a gathering organized by a coalition of community leaders who would shape a new Carbon Plan for North Carolina’s sustainable future. While rallying outside the Wake County Courthouse, hearing the personal experiences of frontline leaders, something within me fundamentally shifted. I felt encouraged to live my truth and advocate for the collective vision presented before me: community building must be at the forefront of a just climate transition. Newly inspired, I surprised myself by giving testimony for the first time. | | | The Workers Circle Circulates
Petition on 28th Amendment | | | On January 27, 2020, Virginia became the 38th state to sign on to the ERA. Section 3 of the ERA states that it takes effect two years after its ratification when Virginia became the 38th state to sign on. By its own terms, then, the 28th Amendment went into force in January 2022. But the prior Archivist of the United States refused to publish the amendment. (Read more about this here.) On August 6, 2024, the American Bar Association (the largest voluntary membership group for lawyers in the WORLD) affirmed that the ERA has met all constitutional requirements and called on all forms of government to implement the 28th Amendment immediately. TWC asks that you submit a letter to urge President Biden to tell the new Archivist to publish the 28th Amendment and guarantee equal rights for all Americans. | | | | | |
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