October 25, 2022

Before adjourning in October, Congress passed, and President Biden signed into law a stopgap funding measure to keep government operations running through mid-December. When Congress returns in November, they will have to act on key funding measures for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2023.

Among the funding legislation pending in the Senate is the State-Foreign Operations (SFOPS) Appropriations Bill which funds the United States’ contributions to global health efforts, international climate finance programs, the United Nations, and humanitarian and development assistance.

Now is the time to raise our voices calling for robust funding for these critical international priorities. Contact your Senators today and ask them to support funding levels that meet the United States’ moral obligations and reflects its fair share of funding towards global solutions for these global challenges. As United Methodists, we believe that healthcare is a human right (United Methodist Social Principles, ¶162V). We understand that “all creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it” (United Methodist Social Principles, ¶160). We support United Nations instruments to achieve a world of justice and law, in which all people and nations feel secure (United Methodist Social Principles ¶165.D). We also believe that wealthy nations have the responsibility to help develop an international order in which “the limited resources of the earth will be used to the maximum benefit of all nations and peoples” (United Methodist Social Principles, ¶165.B)

One of the best ways we can put our beliefs into action is by supporting a national budget that prioritizes these efforts.

Contact your Senators today and urge them to robustly fund SFOPs accounts for:

• Global Health Programs, including Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition
• Climate Change and Environmental Programs, including the Green Climate Fund
• The United Nations and other International Organizations, including UN peacekeeping programs
• Humanitarian, Development, and Economic Assistance

Thank you for reaching out to your Senators – together we can help ensure that the United States lives up to its responsibilities to address the critical justice issues facing communities around the world.