JUNE 2025

AIW Feedback Session:
We Declare and Reaffirm: All People Have Inherent Worth and Inalienable Rights
Hosted by the Commission on Social Witness (CSW)

The UUA’s CSW has scheduled a Feedback Session for one of the Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW) crafted by UUSJ. Our Immigration Action Team proposed the AIW for discussion on June 2nd. Join the session to show support and learn more.

No Deal for Big Oil Billionaires
Hosted by People vs. Fossil Fuels

The new administration and its congressional allies are trying to ram through a budget bill that will fund handouts to Big Oil, more tax cuts for billionaires, sell off our public lands for mining and drilling, and build more detention centers. Tomorrow, on June 3rd, join friends in the People vs. Fossil Fuels (PVFF) coalition at the Capitol to say NO DEAL on this tax scam for Big Oil & Billionaires! What to expect: 

• 10:30 AM: Gathering and preparation at Reformation Church 
• Noon: Press address at the Capitol to deliver our message to Congress 
• Rest of the day: Actions and meetings to share your story and speak directly to Members of Congress who can stop the worst parts of Trump’s tax scam for billionaires

AIW Feedback Session:
Faithful Defiance of Authoritarianism: Reaffirming Our Covenants for Democracy and Freedom
Hosted by the Commission on Social Witness (CSW)

The UUA’s CSW has scheduled a Feedback Session for one of the Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) crafted by UUSJ. Our Democracy Action Team proposed the AIW that will be discussed on June 3rd. Join the session to show support and learn more.

Rise for Freedom: Nationwide Mass Trainings

7:00 p.m. ET • 6:00 p.m. CT • 5:00 p.m. MT • 4:00 p.m. PT

We’re holding our last sessions in the series during June. The full series has been an introduction to mobilizing concepts and tactics. Join us this first week of June. Those of us who are not communications experts can always use some training in this area of skills.

Unite for Veterans, Unite for America Rally
Organized by Unite for Vets

America made a promise to its veterans. On June 6th, join thousands of veterans, military families, and their allies on the National Mall in D.C., for a rally. Veterans are coming together to defend the benefits, jobs, and dignity that every generation of veterans has earned through sacrifice. Organizers encourage participants to show American pride. 

Let’s show solidarity with all the veterans suffering from the choices of the administration, and especially those who have joined interfaith advocacy spaces for Afghan Adjustment.

AIW Feedback Session:
Voter Justice and Racial Equity for the Citizens of the Nation’s Capital
Hosted by the Commission on Social Witness (CSW)

The UUA’s CSW has scheduled a Feedback Session for an Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) proposed by the Reeb Voting Rights Project, and supported by UUSJ, which is up for discussion on June 3rd. Join the session to show support and learn more.

A Pentecost Witness for a Moral Budget
Organized by The Faith Table

Programs like Medicaid and SNAP, which ensure healthcare and food for millions of poor and struggling Americans, are under dire threat. Take Your Faith to the Streets This Pentecost—in Unitarian Universalism, Pentecost, a Christian holiday celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit, is often interpreted through a lens of universal love, justice, and pluralism. We need those now. We need to insist on courage for those in Congress.

On Tuesday, June 10, Christian-aligned people of faith will gather at the U.S. Capitol. Attendees will be speaking out against a proposed federal budget that slashes life-saving support for the most vulnerable. Together, they will sing, pray, and speak truth to power. #PentecostWitness #MoralBudget

No Kings: Nationwide, but not in DC
Organized by Indivisible, endorsed by UUSJ

#NOKINGS is a national day of action and mass mobilization in response to the increasing authoritarian excesses and corruption of the Trump administration. Americans have watched as they’ve cracked down on free speech, detained people for their political positions, threatened to deport American citizens, and defied the courts. They’ve done this all while continuing to serve and enrich their billionaire allies. They think they rule—but Americans are bigger than even their worst aspirations. 

The national event has been confirmed as c3-friendly. Local events may go differently.

DC Joy Day
Co-hosted by Free DC and Harriet’s Wildest Dreams

On the day the president plans to host a military parade downtown, DC residents are coming together to reject fear and center the DC communities we know and love.  This event will celebrate DC culture and communities with food, music, performances, kids’ activities, and more. Invite your friends, bring a blanket and a cooler, and kick it with the people who know that the people of the District choose freedom over fear.

Vigil to close out UU Hill Day

Join us for an open-air worship and peaceful vigil, permits pending, plus a debrief, to close out our UU Hill Day.

Show up if you can, join us in fellowship. Even if you could not attend the advocacy day.

No problem if you can’t be in DC: watch the UUSC and UUSJ social media outlets for coverage. (Livestream TBA. RSVP to get an alert.)

Welcoming Brunch: Our Approach to Faithful Defiance

Thursday, June 19
10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET
Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor, Key Ballroom #8
RSVP

This is a welcome event to introduce or reintroduce UUSJ and share our approach to faithful defiance in the federal space. Join us for a brief update on our action plan for this session of Congress. Hear what we've tried and tested. Learn how you can get involved in advocacy with logistical and content support from UUSJ. Discover how you and your congregation can have a meaningful impact on Congress with UUSJ.

Coffee, refreshments, and light mid-morning fare will be provided.

GA Session:
Building a Community of UU Democracy Leaders
Hosted by UUSJ

Join us for GA Session, when members of our Democracy Action Team (DAT) will explain what they have been doing to support UU involvement in the formation of a pro-democracy movement in the U.S. The team has been working with UU democracy leaders from congregations around the country for over a year to help build a strong pro-democracy community that can counter the threat of authoritarianism.

Speakers: Fred Van Deusen and Dale Anderson

GA Session:
Seeking Voter Justice: DC Statehood & Home Rule
Hosted by UUSJ, Reeb Voting Rights Project and DC League of Women Voters

Did you know that D.C. residents do not have full representation in Congress? It is not a state, but a federal territory under the exclusive jurisdiction of Congress. We will discuss how and why D.C. Statehood would work, threats to D.C. Home Rule, and actions you can take.

Speakers: Abbie Nelson, Pablo DeJesus, and Anne Anderson

UUSJ’s participation in the Rise for Freedom: Nationwide Mass Trainings has delivered as many benefits in concept and tactics as tools and techniques. This past week was an invaluable session by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit that works to educate the public on Data Hygiene and Data Privacy issues. 

Here are the top-line resources shared:

• Street Level Surveillance (Field Guide to Police Surveillance)
• Atlas of Surveillance (Database of police tech. by city, county, state, or U.S. agency)
• Surveillance Self-Defense (Tips, Tools, and How-tos for Safer Online Communications)
• PasswordMonster (A testing tool to evaluate how secure your password is)
• That’s A Battery Staple (A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language)
• Guidance on Choosing a Password Manager (Things to think through and consider)
• Plugs for BitWarden and 1Password (Encouragement to use a password manager)
• Two-factor authentication guidance (A tool for assessment of needs and risk)
• How to: Use Signal (A basic how-to guide)
• Signal usernames (Keeping your number private)
• How to Use Disappearing Messages in Signal App (An overview of their value)
• A Digital Security & Hygiene Checklist (A helpful list designed to aid you)
• A plug for the Brave Browser (A web browser balanced between use and privacy)
• A plug for the Mullvad VPN (An option nicely balanced between use and privacy)

UUSJ Rapid Response Team Forming

 Would you like to be part of the solution? Some legislative situations require immediate action, such as when an essential piece of legislation or a vote on a nominee for public office is suddenly coming up for a vote before Congress. In those cases, we would ask UUs on the team to act quickly and contact their Senators or representatives to express their concerns or support. This is an important way to alert Members of Congress that UUs are concerned and paying attention to the issue.

How we see it working:  When something comes up that needs quick action, members of the Democracy Action Team will reach out by text or email to those who sign up for the Rapid Response Team. We will provide a script, the time frame, phone numbers, and a link to an Action Alert or special calling instructions. 

We would ask the Rapid Response Team Members to contact their Members of Congress quickly. We would also ask them to notify people at their congregation, friends, family, and local community partners about the issue and ask them to contact their Members of Congress via the Action Alert or by a call.

YOUR JOB: Sign up for the UUSJ Rapid Response Team using this form.   

Immigration Related Provisions in the House Reconciliation Bill

There are many provisions in the bill that will have a major effect on immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees, and the states where they live.

• A massive amount of spending, $150 billion, including $45 billion for immigrant detention centers and $27 billion for ICE’s enforcement and deportation operations
• A penalty for states that use their own funds to offer health insurance to immigrants
  - the 14 states and DC that have add-on programs for immigrants without legal status would suffer a reduction in the federal match rate for the ACA Medicaid expansion population from 90% to 80%
  - the 19 additional states that have elected to cover lawfully present children and/or pregnant people would suffer the same 90% to 80% reduction in the federal match rate
• Significantly increased fees that would be a nearly insurmountable burden for asylum seekers trying to obtain legal status—a new $1,000 application fee, a $550 fee every six months for work authorization, and a $100 annual fee for the 5+ years that their application is pending.
• A change in the Child Tax Credit would bar mixed-status families from receiving the credit for U.S. citizen children if one or both parents lack a Social Security Number. Up to 4.5 million children would become ineligible for the credit.

A Valuable Tool to Follow Suits on Trump Immigration Policies

In the few months since the current administration took office, they have taken an unprecedented number of steps to limit immigration rights and dismantle programs and support for refugees, asylees and other migrants. These policies and actions have unsurprisingly led to dozens of lawsuits challenging their legality. There is a very useful site where these suits and their current status are displayed and regularly updated: the Justice Action Center’s Immigration Litigation Tracker. See

https://litigationtracker.justiceactioncenter.org

Threats to Afghan Evacuees Continue

Watch a clip from Face the Nation (CBS) EOA’s Jack McCain talking about issues related to our Afghan allies.

What you can do to help

1. Send a letter to your Member of Congress asking them to push back on the Trump Administration's potential decision to shut down Enduring Welcome operations.
2. Donate to AfghanEvac. Ongoing advocacy and information sharing is more critical now than ever. Thank you to everyone who has already given. If you haven’t, or if you’re moved to contribute more, please visit afghanevac.org/donate or contact us to plan an event in your area.
3. Call and email your elected officials and ask them to take action - use that link to look up who your reps are and use this one to look at our draft letter to them. Visit our website and share with your state and local representatives our draft resolution.

Racially Motivated Violence and South African White Farmers

The U.S. State Department recently released a report that weakly substantiated claims of violence against white farmers with a couple of paragraphs describing crimes against them, but the report states “Some advocacy groups asserted white farmers were racially targeted for burglaries, home invasions, and killings, while many observers attributed the incidents to the country’s high and growing crime rate.” 

However, there is a lot about other human rights violations that seem similar to ones that occur in another country we know, violations such as arbitrary arrest and detention, mistreatment of prisoners, lack of due process, violence toward foreigners, etc.

South Africa - United States Department of State

Nobody Voted to Deport Moms

Many people who voted for Donald Trump agreed with his plans to deport violent gang members, drug dealers, and human traffickers, but many of them are opposed to deporting immigrants who have lived here for years and have become valued members of their communities. 

The story of how residents of Kennett, Missouri responded to the arrest of one of the moms in their community is here.

400,000 Jobs and a $110 Utility Bill Hike on the Line

The House Republican tax bill takes a “sledgehammer” to America’s clean energy investments. Many energy analysts project it would crater American energy production, raise energy prices, and cost us hundreds of thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs. 

These investments have bipartisan support: many Republican Governors and some Senate Republicans have spoken up for standing by these clean energy investments. Senators are under pressure to fix the House bill–and while President Trump is signaling they have leeway to change things, the big question is one Senate Majority Leader John Thune is asking aloud, “what does it take to get to 51?”

Because even Elon Musk is warning that America can’t win the technology race without abundant clean energy production.

Can California Cars Derail this Thing? 

Senate Democrats Have Been Handed a Tool to Stop the Big Beautiful Bill, “Thanks to a Republican vote to stop California from setting its auto emissions, Democrats can challenge virtually any Trump administration action, and eat up time on the Senate floor.” 

When Republicans overruled the parliamentarian on whether a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution could nullify the Environmental Protection Agency’s waiver granting California its air pollution standards on vehicles, they set up an interesting opportunity for Democrats.

Democrats could “clog and bog” the Senate with infamously time-consuming resolution votes rendered on a repeated and relentless schedule. “Democrats could respond to the waiver vote by paralyzing the Senate, and stopping the giant Trump tax bill from ever reaching the floor.”

But will they? Do they have an internal caucus consensus to play hardball?

Corporate Polluters on Tribal Land

The administration recently announced a massive change to permitting procedures, which helps corporate polluters exploit Native lands for profit while silencing our communities. But Tribes are owed Nation-to-Nation relationships with the federal government, and Native peoples have the inherent right to be full participants in decisions about our lands, waters, and communities.

Sign on to stop this outrageous violation of Tribal sovereignty with the Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund.

If you are worried about polluters on tribal lands, you might be interested in a summary of the permitting-related provisions in Reconciliation by Earth Justice.

Environment and Climate Coverage

• In Reversal, Trump Officials Will Allow Huge Offshore N.Y. Wind Farm to Proceed, NYT
• The True cost of pretending climate change doesn’t exist, Inside Climate News
• In Chicago, Artists Imagine a World Without Prisons or Environmental Hazards, Inside Climate News
• Advocacy By Architecture Firms Fighting Climate Change, Forbes
• Electric grills are a climate-friendly option to fossil fuel grills, NPR
• Behind Trump’s Order 14270: A sweeping directive that dismantles a century of protections, Alternet
• In Texas, an early heat wave raises concerns for summer, NPR
• Redlining shaped the power grid. Communities of color are still paying the price, Floodlight
• Americans (inc. Rep) want action on climate in name of health, CBS news Chicago
• US passes momentous energy milestone for first time in history: 'It is a trend we believe is irreversible', Yahoo News 
• Trump promised to help Big Oil. Its revenues plummeted, Grist
• Trump admin ends extreme weather database that has tracked cost of disasters since 1980, CNN
• Big US cities are sinking. This map shows where the problem is the worst, USA Today
• Before he was pope, Leo XIV said it's time for action on climate change, Earth Beat
• A New Handbook Shows Churches How to Hold Fossil Fuel Actors Accountable, Inside Climate News

What’s This Really All About?

Wonk out with one of the best Final Bill Summaries we’ve seen, by the NY University Tax Law Center. And Climate Power’s Slide deck from their Reconciliation presentation offers some good plain language. 

Review one of the cleanest summary articles we’ve seen, Four sticking points in Trump's 'big, beautiful' tax bill by the BBC.

Notice how rollbacks on the IRA's clean energy provisions might be as controversial as Medicaid in the Senate, according to both Poltico and Reuters. Even US Mayors sent a letter with 175 signatures on energy tax credits. And Houses of Worship have a stake as well, Faith, fundraising and federal help: Churches are turning to solar energy, WRAL.com 

Lest you think racial disparities are not at play, see This Federal Budget Will Be a Disaster for Black Workers, Inequality.

Millions of Americans’ Futures Remain at Risk

Social safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP, which countless families depend on to live with dignity, are facing major cuts. The House of Representatives passed a tax bill to give $3.8 trillion to corporations and the wealthy but cut Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP food assistance. 

Contact your senators today with the NAACP and demand that they protect the programs that define how we take care of each other as Americans.

An Excellent Analysis From a Great School

The President calls Penn-Wharton “a great school.” But they just published a report on the economic effects of the House-passed reconciliation bill. Here is the juiciest part:

“On a conventional basis, households in the first income quintile lose about $820 in 2026, [by 2030 that goes up to $1,300 of lost income a year] reflecting net reductions in taxes and transfers, including cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. The top 10% of the income distribution receives about 70 percent of the total value of the legislation.”

This seems to mean that the $390,000 net tax cut goes to the top 0.1% of households (those with incomes over $4.3 million) in 2025, so “On a dynamic lifetime basis, lower-income households and some in the middle class are worse off.” 

Didn’t we know that as true, without knowing that as fact?

Budget and Tax Content and Clippings

• Consumer spending slows as Americans pull back amid tariff uncertainty, WaPo
• House tax plan now costs $4T, budget forecasters say, Politico
• House Republican Proposal Would Kick More People Off SNAP During Recessions While Pushing Additional Costs to States, CAP
• Social Security Service Restrictions Burden Seniors With Long, Unnecessary Travel, CBPP
• The House Budget Bill Fails Key Tax Reform Tests, TPC
• Supreme Court Boosts Oil Billionaires By Restricting Environmental Reviews, Forbes
• Why Jeff Bezos Loves Trump’s Big, Ugly Bill, The Nation
• House Bill’s $164 Billion Giveaway to Multinational Corporations Puts America Last, ITEP
• Business owners often use their firms as tax shelters, reducing government revenue and reported income inequality, WCEG
• Universities Map Out New Investment Strategies to Deal With Tax Hike on Endowments, WSJ
• Let’s stop pretending ‘no tax on tips’ is anything but a political ploy, WaPo
• Capitol agenda: Megabill heads toward a Senate buzzsaw, Politico
• Tariffs, Taxes, And Tough Trade-offs, TPC
• Republicans can’t pay for their tax cuts with fantasy revenue sources, WaPo
• 7 ways Republicans are split over Trump’s ‘big bill’, WaPo