The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris has increased the feasibility of many of our policy priorities. This means that now more than ever people of faith need to raise their voices for policies that will do justice by the most vulnerable and promote the common good. That work starts today. Below you will find a list of five things you can call your US senators and representative to advocate for. These demands are achievable, and they would be impactful.
Visit our issues page for a brief, but more fleshed out, account of how we use Catholic social teaching to analyze these and other policy areas.
Militarism: End US support for the war in Yemen
The Saudi-led and US-backed war in Yemen is one of the world’s greatest humanitarian crises. The US military provides in-air refueling, intelligence, and other logistical support for the Saudi air force in its five-year long conflict in Yemen that has killed at least 100,000 people, and displaced nearly 13% of the country’s population. The entire Connecticut congressional delegation voted in favor of the April 2019 War Powers Resolution to end US participation and support for the war. It passed in the House along party lines, and it passed in the Senate with bipartisan support before being vetoed by President Trump. Urge your legislators to reaffirm their commitment to withdrawing from this disastrous conflict.
Immigration: Protect TPS
Within the context of a moratorium on deportations, the Biden administration should instruct its Department of Homeland Security to end the assault on the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) that approximately 300,000 immigrants enjoy, and provide a humane pathway to citizenship for them. TPS is an emergency program that exists so that foreign visitors to the United States do not have to return to their home countries if, during their stay, something catastrophic happens such as a natural disaster or armed conflict. TPS recipients often have little to return to, giving them, at least morally, the same standing as refugees.
Criminal Justice: End the 1033 program outright
A complete end to the 1033 program, which facilitates the transfer of surplus military equipment to local police departments. The program was launched in 1997 as part of that year’s National Defense Authorization Act, and bears some responsibility for the widespread militarization of state and local police forces. Since its founding, over 8,000 departments nationwide have acquired more than $7.4 billion in surplus military equipment. Agencies that are outfitted like militaries will behave like militaries. We see this every time police show up to protests with sniper rifles and mine-resistant armored vehicles.
Care for Creation: Deny new fossil fuel infrastructure permits
The Collaborative Center supports the Climate President Action Plan. While each of its 10 recommendations is important, we highlight the urgency of President-Elect Biden issuing an Executive Order “directing all federal agencies to deny permits for new fossil fuel infrastructure projects, including but not limited to pipelines, import and export terminals, storage facilities, refineries, and petrochemical plants, consistent with the science demonstrating that any such projects are incompatible with limiting temperature rise to below 1.5°C.” Around the country, including in the state of Connecticut, fossil fuel companies continue to advance new infrastructure projects despite the science. As many infrastructure projects need a permit from at least one federal agency, a directive to deny permits at the federal level would be a significant step in ending such expansion.
Economic Justice: Cash relief without regard for immigration status
The Biden administration should work with Congress to implement a policy of recurring direct cash payments to every person in the US during the pandemic, and for at least three months after the end of the public health emergency. Congress has not passed a relief package since the spring, which kept more than 18 million people out of poverty at its peak. There is bipartisan support among voters for direct monthly payments to individuals during the pandemic, and in May, members of Congress wrote a letter to Congressional leadership in support of such a policy (Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris was a signatory). Urge your Senators and Representative to support the implementation of a robust economic relief package that includes recurrent cash payments, without further delay.
Contact Information for Connecticut’s US Senators and Representatives:
Senator Richard Blumenthal: 860.258.6940; https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/contact
Senator Chris Murphy: 860.549.8463; https://www.murphy.senate.gov/contact
Representative John Larson: 860.278.8888; https://larson.house.gov/contact/email
Representative Joe Courtney: 860.886.0139; https://courtney.house.gov/contact
Representative Rosa DeLauro: 203.562.3718; https://delauro.house.gov/contact
Representative Jim Himes: 866.453.0028; https://himes.house.gov/contact/email
Representative Jahana Hayes: 860.223.8412; https://hayes.house.gov/zip-code-lookup?form=/contact/email-me
