In my 16 years of faith-based public policy advocacy in Washington, I’ve never seen a more brutal Congressional attack on programs for hungry and vulnerable individuals and families.
That’s why I decided to do something out of the ordinary. On July 28 with 10 other people of faith, I engaged in an act of civil disobedience by kneeling in prayer in the rotunda of the Capitol building. We were arrested.
Assistance for people in poverty – a justice mandate according to Scripture – is being put in danger for years to come. The multi-year spending caps mandated by the recent debt ceiling agreement are likely to mean huge cuts to domestic poverty programs and to humanitarian and poverty-focused foreign assistance.
To many members of Congress these are just “programs” – and expendable ones at that. But they are critical lifelines to millions of people in America and abroad, who depend on them for lives of dignity, and in many cases, for life itself.
Accordingly, during the month of July as the debt ceiling agreement was being negotiated, Church World Service joined with other faith-based organizations to hold daily vigils across from the Capitol building, bringing national religious leaders to Washington for meetings with Congressional leaders, holding press conferences, and sending letters to the President and members of Congress calling for programs that assist people in need to be exempted from cuts.
Yes, the deficit and debt need to be wisely addressed in a timely manner. But this should be done by a focus on job creation, cuts to unnecessary and duplicative military spending and eliminating tax breaks for those who can afford this sacrifice, not at the expense of those who can least afford additional reductions to their life necessities.
As the debt ceiling deadline neared and policy makers continued to ignore concerns for the impoverished, the hungry, the homeless, the disabled and the elderly, several of us decided to make a more graphic witness.
We entered the magnificent Capitol Rotunda, knelt and prayed that God would touch the hearts of members of Congress to act with compassion and justice for our neighbors in need at home and abroad. The surrounding crowd of observers and tourists began singing hymns. While this was happening two members of Congress spoke on the House floor in support of our action.
The police who arrested us were very amiable and understanding. This was not, after all, segregated America of the 1950s and 60s, when such acts carried grave risk and required incredible courage. We were handcuffed and taken to a nearby station to be booked. After several hours of processing we were released, and will appear in court on Sept. 7.
The amazing outpouring of support for our action shows that there are a great many people who want to do more, who want to join a growing movement to protect our vulnerable sisters and brothers from more suffering imposed by policy makers who don’t seem to care. I pray that in the months ahead God will grant us all many opportunities to witness to love of neighbor and for a government that transcends narrow partisanship to do its biblical duty to seek and serve the common good.