J. Herbert Nelson Responds to Shooting at the Navy Yard, Spanish translation

For the statement in English, please click here. 

Nos Mantenemos Comprometidos con la Erradicación de La Violencia Armada

17 de Septiembre, 2013 

La Oficina de Testimonio Público (OPW) en Washington, DC de la Iglesia Presbiteriana USA (PCUSA) está entristecida por la muerte de 13 personas (incluyendo al disparador) ayer en la instalación militar “Washington Navy Yard”. Nuestras sentidas oraciones y pensamientos están con las familias que sufren esta pérdida. La Escritura nos recuerda, que si vivimos, vivimos para el Señor y si morimos, morimos para el Señor (Romanos 14:8).  Oramos por cada persona y por nuestra nación con la creencia de que nuestro Señor y Salvador Jesús Cristo prometió que no tendríamos que encarar este momento solos. 

Los Estados Unidos de América está en necesidad de leyes lógicas para el control de armas. Una vez más recordamos que nuestra nación esta tristemente atrapada por la cultura de la violencia. Cada día, ocho niños muren por violencia armada en los Estados Unidos. Nuestras calles, escuelas, cines, concentraciones políticas, lugares de trabajo, y lugares de adoración no son lugares seguros. Pero esto no tiene que ser de esta manera.

Nuestra oficina continúa comprometida con la defensoría profética en relación a la implementación de una ley lógica para el uso de armas que 1) prohíba la venta de armas de asalto 2) elimine la compra de armas por medio de terceras personas 3) convierta el tráfico de armas en un crimen federal 4) requiera una revisión universal de record criminal para toda compra de armas. Como presenciamos ayer, somos vulnerables en todas las facetas de nuestras vidas. Incluso un lugar de trabajo militar armado y seguro, donde militares y civiles trabajan juntos buscando la protección de los ciudadanos de este país, es vulnerable a las armas cuando están en las manos equivocadas. 

Juntos, podemos hacer una diferencia y salvar miles de vidas. Llame al Presidente  y a los miembros del Congreso hoy. Dígales que aprueben una legislación que reduzca de manera significativa la plaga de la violencia armada en esta nación. 

Yo les hago un llamado para que tomen este asunto seriamente en sus comunidades locales. La violencia armada puede ser reducida si tenemos la voluntad de responsabilizar del bien común a los oficiales electos.

En la fe que compartimos, 

J. Herbert Nelson, II

"El Reverendo J. Herbert Nelson, II, es el Director de la Oficina en Washington DC de Testimonio Público de la Iglesia Presbiteriana USA (PCUSA)"

Update on House Hunger Bill

The House Rules Committee scheduled a meeting at 3pm Wednesday, Sept. 18, to approve a rule for debating the nutrition bill. That would clear the way for the House to debate the nutrition bill on

Thursday.

The Congressional Budget Office  (CBO) score for the bill was released, confirming that the cut to SNAP would be $39 billion over 10 years. According to CBO

• the change to work waivers would cause about 2 million individuals to lose SNAP eligibility in 2014. 
• this is on top of the cuts included in the committee-passed bill that would cause more than 2 million people to lose eligibility under the categorical eligibility cut. 
• in total, over 4 million individuals would lose eligibility under the nutrition bill. 
• in addition, 850,000 households would lose an average $90 per month in benefits under the Heat and Eat cut.
• 210,000 children would lose free school meals under the categorical eligibility cut. 
• at the same time, states would have fewer resources for SNAP nutrition education, which helps participants maximize nutrition on a limited food budget, at a time when participants are seeing their benefits cut.

For more information about the bill that will enact these terrible cuts, visit our previous blog post.

Write to your Representative here.  Tell them to vote against leaving millions of people hungry.

We Remain Committed to Eradicating Gun Violence

We Remain Committed to Eradicating Gun Violence

September 17, 2013

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness (OPW) in Washington, DC, is saddened by the deaths of thirteen people (including the gunman) at the Washington Navy Yard on yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers on behalf of the families suffering loss today are heartfelt. The scriptures remind us, that If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:8) We pray for each and our nation with the belief that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ promised that we would not have to face this moment alone.

The United States of America is in need of common sense gun laws. We are once again reminded that our nation is sadly entrapped by a culture of violence. We are still faced with gun deaths on the evening news every day. Each day, eight children are killed by guns in the United States.  Our streets, schools, movie theaters, political rallies, workplaces, and houses of worship are no longer safe places. But it does not have to be this way.

Our office remains committed to prophetic advocacy regarding the implementation of common sense gun laws that will 1) ban the sale of assault weapons 2) eliminate straw purchases of guns 3) make gun trafficking a federal crime and 4) require universal background checks for all gun purchases. As witnessed yesterday, we are vulnerable in every facet of our lives. Even an armed and secure military workplace, where military and civilian workers together seek to protect the citizens of this country, is vulnerable to guns when they are in the wrong hands.

Together, we can make a difference and save thousands of lives. Call on the President and Members of Congress today.  Tell them to move forward with meaningful legislation that will significantly reduce the plague of gun violence in this nation.

I urge you to take this issue seriously in your local communities. Gun violence can be reduced if we possess the will to hold our elected officials accountable to the common good.

In the faith we share,

J. Herbert Nelson, II

The Reverend J. Herbert Nelson, II, is the Director for Public Witness of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), serving the Office of Public Witness in Washington, DC.

For the Spanish translation of this statement, please click here.

Oppose cuts to SNAP!

This week, the House of Representatives will take up a bill that will cut $40 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program).  These cuts are not only cruel, but also unjust.  Write to your Representative today and oppose devastating cuts to SNAP.  

OPW Director J. Herbert Nelson wrote to the House of Representatives last week to oppose this bill.  He wrote, "We believe that 'reconciliation...through Jesus Christ makes it plain that enslaving poverty in a world of abundance is an intolerable violation of God’s good creation.'  This bill is one such intolerable violation.  I urge you to vote no on the bill."

Earlier this month the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its annual report on food security in our country.  The conclusions of that report are sobering: despite improvements in the U.S. economy, the number of U.S. households considered food insecure -- lacking consistent access to adequate food throughout the year for all family members -- remains at high levels.  According to the USDA, 14.5 percent of U.S. households were food insecure in 2012 and 5.7 percent of U.S. households fall into the most severe category of food insecurity.

Such high levels of hunger in our communities should call each of us to action and advocacy. 

Write the House today! Or call 800-826-3688.

Yet, later this week the House will take up the "Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act" (no bill number available yet), a bill that would make dramatic cuts ($40 billion) in federal food assistance to low income families.  For example:

• Across the country, 2 to 4 million adults without dependents would lose benefits. SNAP already has strict work requirements but this proposal would require individuals to find work at times when jobs are scarce.
• Nearly 2 million more people, primarily seniors and those in low-income working families, would lose benefits due to changes in eligibility rules.
• In 2011, private churches and charities provided approximately $4 billion in food assistance, compared to $98 billion provided by federal nutrition programs. Churches and charities would have to nearly double their current food assistance to make up the difference. 

More than three-quarters of SNAP recipients are children, older adults, or persons with disabilities -- in short, the most vulnerable people in our communities.  Some members of Congress argue that funding for the SNAP program is too high, and offer stories of fraud and abuse in the system.  The truth is that SNAP is a program with a remarkably low rate of fraud and error -- less than four percent overall -- that is designed to grow as need grows in a poor economy and contract as need lessens in a good economy.  At a time when unemployment is still high in many communities and workers struggle with underemployment and low wages many families need extra help.  SNAP provides that critical assistance.

Your voice is needed now!  Please call or email your member of Congress today and tell them to oppose the a $40 billion cut to SNAP.

Click here to send a message to your Representative now.

Call 1-800-826-3688 and ask to speak with your Representative’s office.  Don’t know who your Representative is?  Click here to find out.

Read Director for Public Witness J. Herbert Nelson’s letter to the House of Representatives here.

Just Food Conversation on Ecclesio.com

This week, OPW's Leslie Woods has been guest hosting a conversation on just food and farm policy on ecclesio.com.  Check out her post and one from Bread for the World colleague, Christine Meléndez Ashley.

What happened to the Farm Bill? The State of the National Debate Around Food Justice

by Leslie G. Woods

... Indeed, the meta-narrative around our nation’s food and farm policy has changed completely in one Farm Bill cycle.  Last time, in the debate around the 2007 Farm Bill, the PC(USA) joined with ecumenical partners to call for an end to trade-distorting subsidies and for investments in nutrition and conservation.  Today, in the 2012 Farm Bill debate (2012 because the current Farm Bill actually expired in 2012), we are still advocating for just food systems and investments in food aid, conservation, and rural development, but it is in the context of a Senate that voted to cut Food Stamps by $4 billion and House of Representatives that has introduced a bill to cut $40 billion from the same program.  What happened?   Read More

The Anti-Hunger Bill

by Christine Meléndez Ashley

When one hears about the farm bill, images of idyllic farm land, tractors, red barns, and silos likely come to mind. In reality, the policy embodied in the farm bill reaches far beyond the farm. This vital piece of legislation affects our entire food system, from what is grown in fields to whether or not families are able to put food on the table. Just as apt a title for the bill would be the “anti-hunger bill”… Read More