The federal budget is a moral document, in that it is an expression of our collective values and priorities as a people. It is not simply a sheet of paper with words and numbers — there are real lives, real people, and real families that will be helped or harmed by budget decisions made by Congress.
Invest in love is a moral challenge to Congress’ fiscal priorities. Together we challenge Congress to set the standard for what it means to care for their constituents, our friends, our neighbors. We reject the lie of scarcity and call for new policies that spread the fruits of abundance to all of our people. We call on Congress to make moral choices in the budget process and to invest in love, invest in hope, and invest in the future of our families and communities.
The #InvestinLove campaign will call on Congress to affirm a vision of inclusion, abundance and Beloved Community by divesting from:
- Systems of mass incarceration and immigrant detention,
- Systems and agencies of deportation and border militarization
And advocate that Congress invests in systems and structures that:
- Provide healthcare and housing for our families,
- Provide jobs that pay a living wage and needed infrastructure in our communities,
- Promote full voting participation and encourage democracy in its fullest form,
- Keep our families safe by preventing gun violence,
- Find solutions to address the effects of climate change,
- Prioritize education, pre-k through university.
The strategic goals of #InvestinLove campaign are:
Build Independent Political Power: The faith community is uniquely situated to put pressure on important figures in Congress and within the budget and appropriations process to build and grow the base of support for cutting funds for immigrant detention and deportation in Congress. Our goal is to push elected leaders to take bold positions on welcoming immigrants and center the reduction of immigrant detention and deportation as a key position of their immigration platform.
Tell Our Family Stories with Moral Clarity and Prophetic Leadership: We know through research, experience, and decades of organizing that sharing our stories publicly and powerfully moves hearts and minds. The faith community is positioned powerfully as an organization with moral clarity and political power with the stories of our directly impacted leaders and clergy.
Develop strategic relationships: The faith community is also uniquely positioned to develop and grow strategic relationships with partners across movements, geographically and in the various faith denominations that can help move our liberation agenda in Congress.
