Dear friend,

We want to take a moment to thank all of you who took action yesterday and contacted your senators, to ensure that our priorities were included in negotiations of the $2 trillion stimulus package expected to be signed into law in the next 24 hours. We were in close contact with the senators and staff negotiating this agreement, but despite all our efforts, all our priorities were not included in the final package. Though the bill is not perfect, it was improved and strengthened through the extensive negotiation process and includes concrete support that low-income and working families will need during this pandemic.

This is not expected to be the last stimulus package in response to the coronavirus, and we will be working tirelessly to ensure that all our concerns are included in the future negotiations. Indeed, this is not the end of our work — it is only the beginning.

We must remember that this time of quarantine and coronavirus is a marathon, not a sprint. It is a long and hard road, but no matter what happens, we will keep our focus on those most impacted by this public health and economic crisis. And as always, the people most at risk are those who have consistently and purposefully been marginalized the most in this country, the very people who we are called by Christ to care most for: the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the poor, and the immigrant.

We are already working on our strategy to convey our priorities to lawmakers and the White House over the next weeks, and in order to do that, we will need your commitment and support.

Sustain our work for the long haul.

Your gift to Sojourners is crucial to sustaining our response to this crisis, a response that focuses on three pillars: health care, the economy, and the 2020 elections.

• This crisis is, first and foremost, a public health crisis. So far, the federal government’s response has been slow and inadequate. We need a more robust and coordinated response that gives support to frontline health workers, invests in infrastructure and equipment, and ensures that all people — especially those with underlying health conditions and those without health insurance — have access to free testing and treatment.
   
• This crisis has had a major impact on our economy and, more importantly, the financial security and health of millions of Americans. The president has made it clear that he has more concern for the health of the economy and businesses than he does for the physical health of people. We believe that the government’s economic response must be focused on those who are most at financial risk. This includes low-income families and workers without benefits, sick and family leave, and job security. Ensuring that all Americans, regardless of income level, have the security and support they require to provide basic needs for themselves and their families is critical at this time. Ensuring that corporations have the necessary financial support to protect their employees is also critical, and the final version of this bill gives clear and direct oversight to any corporate funding, to ensure that it doesn’t just seek to privatize profits and socialize losses.
   
• This crisis has forced us to reconsider all our previously overlooked practices, including our elections. The nature of this crisis will inevitably impact our ability to hold our elections as we have in the past. Voter protection and engagement has always been a deep concern for us at Sojourners, and we are reimagining that work, to ensure the necessary funding and planning for implementing new election practices, and ensure that all eligible voters are able to exercise their right to vote, even in the midst of this health crisis. That funding and planning is needed now — not months from now — to ensure that we are able to implement needed changes. We must push for these provisions at both the state and federal level, to guarantee that our elections take place in a way that maximizes the ability of all to vote safely and easily. In particular, we are working to ensure that all states are able and equipped to conduct voting by mail.

As all crises do, this one has illuminated and exacerbated the injustices and inequalities that exist in our country and world. And Sojourners is committed to focusing our work on marginalized communities like immigrants and refugees, incarcerated people, survivors of sexual and domestic violence, and frontline communities impacted by climate change. In doing so, this crisis becomes a moment — even an opportunity — to deepen our commitment to this necessary and critical work.

This work won’t be easy, but we are committed to doing it, and we invite you to commit as well and invest alongside us. We can’t do this work without you. Please take advantage of this opportunity and give today.

In solidarity,

Adam Taylor and Jim Wallis, Sojourners