As people of faith, we affirm the dignity of every human being and our charge to love and care for our neighbors. A government shutdown, with its far-reaching consequences, undermines our core commitments and our shared life together. It disrupts essential services that support the most vulnerable among us, harms federal workers and their families, wastes our tax dollars, and undermines the government’s credibility. 

Our faith traditions teach us the importance of justice, compassion, and the common good. We call upon Congressional leadership to fulfill their most basic job requirement and ensure a functioning – and funded – government.  We implore obstructionist members of Congress to prevent this government shutdown and prioritize the welfare of the people they serve, embodying the values that unite us and honoring the principles upon which our nation was founded.