Every week at All Saints Church we put our faith into action. This week our action focuses on the Federal Budget for FY 2024. We are calling on our members of Congress to support a budget that funds programs to reduce poverty here at home and abroad, that advances domestic and global health programs and preparations for future pandemics, and that supports programs to support and sustain families.

In particular, we are asking Congressional support for the following specific programs:

1. We urge support for additional funding for WiC. This program, which has demonstrated success, needs more robust funding due to higher participation and additional costs. The Food and Nutrition Service has conducted research that shows participation in the program leads to fewer premature births, fewer infant deaths, and a greater chance of receiving prenatal care.
2. We urge full support of humanitarian and development assistance programs for those who are facing conflict, natural disasters, and hunger around the world.
3. We urge the restoration of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) that helped low-income families with children meet their needs. The CTC reduced child poverty by 50%. Progress that was immediately lost when the Child Tax Credit expired at the end of last year.
4. We urge Congressional support for the Child Care Stabilization Act which invests $16 billion per year in child care and ensures that there will be no reductions to child care and early learning during FY2024.The pandemic laid bare and exacerbated a quiet child care crisis that was already unfolding in communities across the country, with families facing unaffordable prices and insufficient supply. The American Resue Plan Act of 2021 saved the child care sector from collapse during the pandemic, but it has just expired.
5. We urge support for the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act. This legislation will help the United States maintain readiness in the face of future threats.

We believe that how our government spends its resources reflects our values, and smart investments that address domestic and global poverty are an indication of how our country lives up to the values it holds, including that of caring for neighbors in need.

Options to Take Action:

1. Sign the petition at the Action Table on Sunday.
2. Download, sign and mail an Action Letter.
   Action Letter for CA.            Action Letter for Outside CA.
   

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If you ever need to look up your member of the U.S. House of Representatives or your U.S. Senators check here: www.house.gov and www.senate.gov.

To find contact information for your California State Senator or California State Assemblymember check here: www.senate.ca.gov and www.assembly.ca.gov.