Office of Government Relations

Affirming Our Values

January 17, 2025
Office of Government Relations

Every two years, a new Congress comes to Washington and every four to eight years, a new administration arrives with new priorities, plans, and ambitions. While the elected officials in Washington, the party in power, and the political opportunities regularly change, the work of the Office of Government Relations in many ways stays the same. Indeed, it is because of the frequent changes in Washington – control of the House, Senate, and the presidency have changed with remarkable frequency over the past 20 years – that we always work in a bipartisan way, seeking to build strong relationships with both parties. We educate members of Congress about the issues of importance to the church to cultivate champions for our policy areas. We strive to have values-based conversations about issues, lifting up voices and perspectives

We urge our leaders to remember in their decision-making the tenets that are the pillars of our faith: love, dignity, and compassion. We ask you to join us in advocating on these same points to your elected officials.

In this spirit, below we outline some domestic U.S. policies that we support while opposing policies that seek to discriminate, marginalize, and harm members of our communities.

We affirm the rights and freedoms of transgender and gender non-conforming people, and we oppose efforts aimed at restricting their rights or limiting access to care. In 2022, General Convention expressed support for policies at all levels of government that ensure access to gender-affirming health care. Prior to this, in 2018, our office was directed by General Convention to support policies that protect transgender and non-binary individuals from discrimination. In a letter offering mourning and condolences for a murdered transgender teen, our Presiding Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Rowe, stated, “LGBTQIA+ people are beloved children of God who should be treated with dignity and respect.” We ask elected officials to oppose such restrictions on human rights. We call for Congress to pass the Equality Act to protect the rights of all.

We urge action to ensure the safety and security of all people in protecting our communities against gun violence. We oppose legislation like the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, which would seek to allow concealed carry across state borders. States with weakened concealed carry laws have seen a fifteen percent increase in violent crime, and in twenty-seven states, residents are generally able to purchase and carry firearms without a background check or safety training. Creating reciprocity for concealed carry could mean that individuals who are not legally allowed to own a weapon in one state can carry a weapon from another state with less stringent concealed carry laws. General Convention has passed many resolutions urging us to prioritize life and safety over firearms, you can find an exhaustive list here. We call on Congress to take further action to reduce gun violence.

We call for an expansion of voter registration, protection of voter eligibility, and making voting processes more accessibleto bolster our democracy. We oppose efforts that undermine democratic processes, including legislation that limits access to the polls, like the SAVE Act, which would implement overly restrictive voter ID requirements, disenfranchising millions of eligible voters. We call on Congress to repair the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by finally passing the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

We urge action to support the economically vulnerable through a robust social safety net program. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid represent two of the most important social safety net programs, covering around forty million and seventy-two million people, respectively. Benefits for these programs are already modest, and cuts will mean many people are forced to choose between necessities like food, shelter, and healthcare. We oppose cuts to these programs generally, and adding additional steps to access such as work requirements. For Medicaid, not only do most recipients already work, but in states that have tried implementing work requirements, there has been mass unenrollment due to many enrollees being unable to navigate, the often extensive, red tape. For SNAP this also rings true, as most recipients of working age are employed. We believe that nutrition and healthcare are basic human rights and as such we oppose cuts that will limit benefits and services covered, the number of people who can be enrolled, and creating additional barriers to access.

Our faith tradition proclaims that ‘God is love.’ With this biblical decree in mind, we call on Congress, the Trump Administration, career and elected officials, and each person in our communities to prioritize the dignity of all people, defend the rights of the vulnerable and marginalized, and work toward policies that reduce harm and hardship.

Contact:
The Office of Government Relations

eppn@episcopalchurch.org