Federal action alert on debt ceiling

Action alert

A central moral measure of any budget proposal is how it affects “the least of these” (Mt 25). The needs of those who are hungry and homeless, without work or in poverty should come first.

The United States Conference of Catholic bishops has issued an action alert asking members of Congress to remember the poor and vulnerable as they address the debt ceiling. Please take action today by clicking this link and composing a message.

Upcoming events

• Creighton University and the Catholic Climate Covenant are sponsoring a virtual conference, “Laudato Si’ and the U.S. Catholic Church: A Conference Series on Our Common Home.” The 2023 convening will open on Wednesday, June 14 with a keynote address from Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) who brokered the Paris Agreement. Throughout June and July, the series will host virtual 90-minute sessions on the goals of the Vatican's Laudato Si' Action Platform. Each session will feature a scholar who describes the goal, a practitioner who outlines their work to achieve the goal, and a moderated Q&A. Learn more about conference registration.

• The Iowa March for Life will take place on Saturday, June 24 beginning at 1 p.m. There will be a rally on the west steps of the Iowa Capitol followed by a walk to the Iowa Supreme Court building. The March is an opportunity to proclaim the value of human life and advocate for the protection of life in the law.

• Iowa Interfaith Power and Light will hold a virtual hearing on the Farm Bill on Thursday, June 29 from 7-8:30 p.m. The hearing will consist of several panelists from various environmental, rural, and agricultural organizations around the state. The main highlights of Iowa IPL’s Farm Bill Platform will be discussed, as well as an overview of the 2023 Farm Bill. Explore further.

Federal school choice bill gains sponsors

Representatives Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn are the co-sponsors from Iowa for the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), a bill in the U.S. Congress that would create a national federal tax credit scholarship for students who attend a nonpublic school. Such students must be members of a household with incomes not greater than 300% of the area median gross income. The Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops support the bill.