Just Resolution to Sequestration

February 26, 2013Dear Members of Congress,It is with great concern over the effects of the sequester that I write to you today.  These budget cuts will harm real people; they are not an academic exercise and this is no laboratory for testing ideology around the role of government.  Indeed, a recent report by the Coalition on Human Needs shows that 600,000 children and women stand to lose WIC nutrition assistance, 70,000 children may be...

Read More

Urge House to Pass Inclusive, Bipartisan VAWA; Oppose House Leadership Substitute

 House Leadership introduces partisan VAWA that fails to protect all victimsLegislation will be before the House Rules Committee TODAY and debated on the House floor as early as WEDNESDAY TAKE ACTION NOW!The House Leadership’s version of VAWA, which will be substituted for the Senate’s inclusive, comprehensive version of S.47, is a bill that excludes effective protections for LGBT, tribal, immigrant, and campus victims.  It will likely...

Read More

The House Must Take Up the Senate-passed VAWA

Tell the House to take up the Senate-passed VAWA Take twoVAWA actions today:On Tuesday, Feb. 12, the Senate passed S. 47, a strong, inclusive bill to reauthorize the landmark Violence Against Women Act sponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Michael Crapo (R-ID), by a 78-22bipartisan vote!  Thank you for all of your hard work to make this happen!  And thank you to our Senate champions and the Administration for their unwavering...

Read More

Leslie Woods hosts "Faithful Budget" conversation on Ecclesio.com

This week, OPW's own Leslie Woods, Representative for Domestic Poverty & Environmental Issues, has been guest-hosting a conversation about "A Faithful Federal Budget" on ecclesio.com. Read her article laying out the need for a Faithful Budget and her colleagues' invited responses:www.ecclesio.comA Faithful Federal Budget: What Does it Look Like and Why Does it Matter?by Leslie Woods, Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Public Witness"The federal...

Read More

One week left 'til the Sequester

One week left…On March 1st, new federal budget cuts will begin to take effect.  If Congress does nothing, many hundreds of thousands of people will be hurt by across-the-board cuts (sequestration) to education, nutrition, job training, home heating assistance, public health, mental health, and social services, to name only a few areas. In the absence of a resolution, there will be $31.4 billion in spending cuts to domestic programs like WIC, Head Start, child care, housing, home energy, homeless aid, education and training, and much more. ...

Read More

Farm Bill and Fiscal Cliff: What Happened?

Congress avoided the looming fiscal cliff through a last-minute, temporary fix passed in the wee hours on Jan. 1, 2013. The 2001 and 2003 income tax rates will be extended for people with incomes up to $400,000 ($450,000 for couples), while those above that threshold will see an income tax increase from 35% to 39.6%. Capital gains and dividend tax rates also increase to 20%, up from the prior 15%.[i] Regarding the automatic budget cuts known...

Read More

A Call to Reduce Gun Violence

LENTEN PETITION CALLING FOR COMMON-SENSE MEASURES TO REDUCE GUN VIOLENCEBlessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons (and daughters) of God.- Matthew 5:9The 219thGeneral Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopted the resolution, Gun Violence, Gospel Values: Mobilizing in Response to God’s Call, in exercise of its responsibility to help the whole church address matters of “social righteousness.” The resolution calls both...

Read More

  25 Groups Call on Obama Not to Block Food, Medicine to Iran  A broad coalition of 25 national organizations, including the Presbyterian Church (USA), called on President Barack Obama to take action to ensure that Iranian civilians are not blocked from accessing food, medicine, and other humanitarian goods under existing U.S. sanctions. According to recent reports, a growing number of Iranians are facing difficulties accessing food and medicine, in part due to sanctions imposed by the United States. The Iranian government's mismanagement...

Read More

Invitation: Screening of TRIGGER, the PC(USA)'s new documentary on Gun Violence

...

Read More

Senate VAWA Vote Tomorrow - Call Now!

The Senate is expected to vote on final passage of the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday, Feb. 7.  We need a strong, bipartisan vote in favor of this reauthorization in order to compel the House to take it up next.  Call now!When you reach your Senators’ offices, ask for the staff person who handles VAWA.Click here for phone numbers and talking points.The following Senators are already co-sponsors of VAWA.  Make sure to include...

Read More

FMLA 20th Anniversary Celebration

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which President Clinton signed it into law on February 5, 1993.For the specifics of the FMLA, please read more here: http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/ The FMLA works. Workers have used it more than 100 million times to take critical time off to care for family members or to recuperate from their own illnesses, without putting their jobs at risk or losing their health insurance.[i]Write...

Read More