"Unitarian Universalists are very outspoken regarding our beliefs, and we consider ourselves a vital, progressive, spiritual, and religious movement. As a faith that centers on covenant – our promises to each other and the world – we are compelled not only to be vocal but to put actions behind our beliefs. This practice reflects our deeply held spiritual principle of the inherent worth and dignity of all people – and our commitment to working for justice."

Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray [Commonwealth Magazine, 2022]

It is not too late to RSVP for Thursday, February 2nd, to hear President Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray reflect on federal matters with UUSJ. We want a large and lively audience for her. Get a free ticket if that will make a difference in your attendance, or purchase a ticket to help unlock funds available to UUSJ (see below).

UUA President
Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray

New Congregational Partner In Ohio

UUSJ proudly welcomes North UU Congregation, Lewis Center, OH, as a partner congregation. We celebrate and welcome them as new collaborators into our circle of members, friends, and supporters. We cherish the vital participation of all our Congregations.

The North UU Congregation’s Social Justice Team is excited to strengthen connections to UUSJ's national programming and participate in its educational opportunities. “Even though we are in the middle of the country, we want to be part of the national community working for voter and reproductive rights and other human rights issues.  It is also an excellent opportunity to learn more about UUSJ’s interest action teams on immigration, climate change, and democracy, and how we might be able to apply these learnings at the local/state level.” They happily join the movement for UU federal advocacy.

If you want to explore how your Congregation, Church, or Fellowship can become a partner and deepen your federal engagement, review the details HERE

Donor Matching Funds

Recently we have announced that a generous donor has pledged a substantial investment during 2023 in recognition of our work and a desire to see continued civic engagement for our democracy on federal matters and to deepen collaboration among UUs in that work.

The kind donor's funds will seed a series of matches throughout the year. If you want to add to the 2023 matching fund, please email Pablo DeJesus.

Together we can:

• Defend immigrants and migrants
• Care for our planet and its people
• Pursue a just and equitable economy, and
• Advocate for the healthy, inclusive democracy we need to further justice

Tell Congress to protect the Dreamers now!

Send Your Immigration Action Alert

DACA recipients (Dreamers) were all brought to the United States at an early age and have spent more than 15 years here—this is truly the only home they have. Their families are here—more than 1.3 million people live with a DACA recipient, including more than 300,000 U.S.-born children who have at least one parent with DACA. They are an essential part of their communities—nearly 80% of DACA recipients are employed, and about half of those are in jobs deemed essential, including healthcare, education and childcare, and food production and processing. They helped keep our country functioning during the pandemic!

Many polls show a substantial majority of registered voters (nearly 70% in some polls)^1. favor a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Only Congress can provide permanent security for DACA recipients. It is time for Congress to step up and pass legislation to protect Dreamers^. now.

Our Democracy is Under Attack

Sign Democracy Action Alert

We need to protect our democracy. We cannot allow a small group of legislators to stop Congress from being a functioning legislative body. We, the people, need all those who represent us in Congress to provide a federal government that works effectively to meet our needs. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents must work together for the good of the people they represent.

We need our elected representatives to provide legislation and funding that ensure our rights and keep us secure. That is the fundamental purpose of our government. We need our Members of Congress to make our collective needs their priority, above their personal needs and the needs of their political party. We need them to work together and compromise when necessary. 

30 Days of Love 2023 — Spiritual Nourishment for the Long Haul
January 16 - February 14

This year’s 30 Days of Love is a gift to our whole community: a love letter, a warm hug, and a spiritual balm for all of the individuals, families, religious professionals, partners, and communities that embody our values and work for justice and liberation year round. 

• WEEK 3 (January 30 - February 5): Resilience :: Climate Justice
• WEEK 4 (February 6-12): Healing :: Decriminalization
• BONUS DAYS (February 13-14): Blessings :: Liberatory Intersections

Find more information here

Emerging Healthy Democracy Plans For 2023

The Democracy Action Team met on January 18 to discuss the current legislative situation and what we should focus on for 2023. Not surprisingly, we concluded that it would be challenging to pass desired voting rights and legislation in the House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. Last year we had success when a bipartisan group of moderate senators developed the Electoral Count Reform Act, so our best hope is to see if that can be replicated in the House.

The team plans to work with more moderate House offices to learn what might be feasible. We need to continue advocating for voting rights, even if legislation will not be passed in this congressional session. We will check with our partner organizations Declaration for American Democracy (DFAD) and Faithful Democracy, to see what their agendas will include. 

Our goal is to put effort into building relationships with other UUs and increasing our UUSJ membership base. We can reach out to others in our congregations and encourage them to participate in UUSJ events and actions. We can organize democracy-related educational events to draw people into the effort. We can also work with UU the Vote congregation leaders to help them maintain momentum into the 2024 elections.

So, in summary, we plan to:

• Search for common ground and encourage bipartisanship
• Maintain our advocacy for voting rights 
• Meet with House centrists to see what democracy legislation may be feasible
• Work to increase UUSJ membership by reaching out to other UUs and holding educational and other events to draw people in

Fred Van Deusen
Democracy Action Team
fredvandeu@gmail.com

Commentary
It Is Time for Democracy to Strike Back

We watched in horror on January 6, 2021, as right-wing extremist groups attacked the Capitol Building, trying to prevent the results of a free, fair, and well-verified presidential election from being implemented. Our long and unbroken tradition of the peaceful transfer of power was indeed broken. We recently saw a similar attack occur in Brazil, and we watched in disbelief as it took 15 votes to elect a new Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. About 20 elected extremists decided that they would exercise their power to stop the proper functioning of the House, and it is clear that they want to keep doing that. They do not want to govern; they want to disrupt our government and gain attention for themselves.

We cannot allow this small group to stop the U.S. House of Representatives from being a functioning legislative body.

It is time for democracy to strike back. We must insist on having a well-functioning federal government working to meet our needs. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents need to work together for the country's good and for the good of the people they represent. We are tired of being a polarized nation. We agree much more than we disagree. We can discuss our differences and work out compromises that meet our interests. That’s how democracy is supposed to work, how the government is supposed to work. That’s how America is supposed to work.

[READ MORE]

Please utilize this action alert to encourage your members of Congress to work with their colleagues across the aisle, and the Capitol, on essential and necessary bipartisan legislation.

Immigration Action Team, 2023

The Immigration Action Team is updating our priorities. At this point, we agreed that our overarching focus continues to be the comprehensive reworking of national immigration laws. In the short term, preferences include restoring asylum (including addressing the abuses of Title 42, Remain in Mexico, and detention) and working toward protection and legal status for key groups (including Dreamers, Afghan evacuees, farm workers, and other essential workers).

The Immigration Action Team and the Democracy Action Team have jointly submitted a program proposal for General Assembly. This proposed program will showcase the advocacy work of UUSJ volunteer action teams--meeting with Congressional staff, organizing letter-writing/calling campaigns, and conducting educational programs on important issues. Attendees will learn to emulate UUSJ’s action teams and/or get involved. The program will help UUs and congregations to become more effective advocates for our values with the federal decision-makers. 

UUSJ joined several organizations in a letter to Administration officials (sponsored by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition) opposing recent proposals that make asylum more difficult for thousands of people. Support for a fair and effective asylum process has been a theme of our recent advocacy.

UUSJ has released an updated Action Alert, enabling UUs and friends across the country to contact their Members of Congress to insist on action to protect Dreamers. Recent court decisions regarding DACA threaten to end the protections and benefits granted to hundreds of thousands of Dreamers without Congressional effort to provide a direct path to permanent residency

Food Not Feed Summit Speaker Webcast
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
9am ET / 8am CT / 7am MT / 6am PT (3hr Program)

RSVP for Online Access

Join UUSJ and more than two dozen collaborating organizations to start the fight for a better Farm Bill. Panels will feature prominent speakers who will lift and highlight the objective of transforming our food system as we come together for the Food Not Feed Summit, working to ensure our long-term food security and for resilient and regenerative food systems. 

A climate-smart approach to food production will ensure sustainable, resilient, and regenerative food systems that work to combat increasingly unpredictable weather events.

Our current food system contributes to water and air pollution, reduced biodiversity, and greenhouse gasses that lead to negative impacts on our climate with devastating future results. Industrial agriculture exhausts and degrades soils, requiring the continued application of synthetic inputs manufactured with fossil fuels — all finite unsustainable sources.

UUSJ hopes you will tune in to learn more as we fight for a more resilient and regenerative agricultural system and learn how to educate our Senators and Representatives for a better Farm Bill.

A More Sustainable Farm Bill

UUSJ has joined the Food Not Feed Summit so we can work to raise awareness for a more sustainable and climate-smart agricultural system that would be more resilient and less costly for taxpayers. As part of the summit, we can fight for more conservationist and regenerative farming practices that can lead to more positive climate impacts. We can also focus on implementing conservation standards to participate in federal crop insurance, commodity and price support, and disaster payment programs.

Advocating to be climate-smart and sustainable makes economic and nutritional common sense. If we shift support toward the production of food that feeds people, not only will our communities be healthier, but smaller U.S. farmers will be more profitable, which will help bring wealth back to rural America. The massive disconnect between U.S. dietary recommendations and the agriculture policies of our current food systems must be changed to fight for healthier options for Americans. Nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population consumes less than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vegetables, and 80 percent are below the RDA for fruit.

These are not consumer choices; they are policy choices–and the Farm Bill plays a big role.

EPA Public Comment Period Ends February 13
Environmental Defense Fund Public Comment

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just released an updated draft rule to cut methane and other harmful pollutants from oil and gas operations across the U.S. It’s a big step forward, but to hit the climate goals, we need to go further — so we can ensure that we have the most substantial methane safeguards possible. The public comment period closes on Feb. 13, and the EPA will issue the final rule later this year. The rule is a cornerstone of the EPA’s strategy under President Joe Biden to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [Environmental Defense Fund]

A Think Piece To Look Over

How the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity Can Respond to the Health Threats of the Climate Crisis, a report by The Center For American Progress 

Demand Uniformed Police Reform
NAACP Action Alert

Demand Congress take swift action by passing legislation on police reform to end the horrors of police brutality and reform a criminal justice system that fails to properly hold law enforcement officials accountable.

Our criminal justice system is shaped by biased policing and unfair judicial precedents rooted in anti-Blackness and racial disparity. The emotional, mental, physical, and financial impact on our communities is a tangible experience for millions of Black people in the U.S. The cost of an unjust justice system is high.

To reform our justice system, we must address the structural inequities that allow people with lower incomes to be penalized unfairly. This systematically affects Black communities who continue to be over-policed, surveilled, harshly sentenced, and sent to prison in lieu of access to quality healthcare. [NAACP]

On Recovery, Taxes, And Debt Limits

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities offers Chart Book: Tracking the Recovery From the Pandemic Recession, showcasing how substantial relief and recovery measures helped fuel an economic recovery beginning in May 2020 that made the deepest recession in the post-World War II era also the shortest. As well as House GOP’s First Bill: A Misleading Gambit to Protect Interests of Wealthy Tax Cheats, by Chuck Marr, Vice-President for Federal Tax Policy.

Americans for Tax Fairness offers Key Facts and Talking Points to Oppose MAGA Republicans’ 30% National Sales Tax proposal, as well as a Polling Compilation: Public Support for More IRS Tax Enforcement Funding.

Researchers at the Tax Policy Center have written extensively on the importance of raising the debt ceiling in a timely manner and offer a digest for Understanding the Federal Debt Limit, with Renu Zaretsky offering a quick breakdown of near-term tax issues, leading with McCarthy and Biden Will Talk Debt Limit.