We just sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to deliver a budget that invests in our communities. Can you add your name?
Last week, President Biden delivered his State of the Union address, sharing a glimpse into his administration’s priorities for the coming year. Next month, he’ll clarify those priorities even more in his Fiscal Year 2024 budget. Budgets are moral documents that reflect whose lives our country values — and whose we don’t.
Last month, Bend the Arc delivered a letter directly to the White House, asking President Biden to cut funding from punitive enforcement-focused systems, built on white supremacy, that have disproportionately harmed Black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) for centuries and invest in programs that keep our communities safe and create the conditions where all of us can thrive.
Now, it’s up to you to make our ask stronger. Can you add your name to our petition before President Biden releases his budget on March 9?
Every year, billions more dollars are spent on policing, immigrant detention and deportations, border militarization, and other policies that make our communities less safe. And every year, nowhere near enough money is being invested in what communities actually need to be safe, like meeting our basic human needs, public health-centered, community-led crisis response, and programs to welcome immigrants into our communities.
For too many years, our country’s budgets, proposed by Democratic and Republican presidents and passed by Congresses controlled by both parties, shown how unwilling we still are to chart a new path away from the white supremacy and systemic racism that has shaped our society and government since white colonists first set foot on this continent.
Here’s how we can start to change this: The Biden administration can propose a budget that cuts funding from systems that harm and invests in programs that help.
When you sign the letter, you’ll join a chorus of voices sending a clear message to President Biden demanding greater equity and safety for all of us — especially those who have been harmed by generations of systemic oppression.
Join us now: Ask President Biden to center justice and equity in next year’s budget.
Towards justice,
Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Washington Director
P.S. Keep an eye on your inbox — after President Biden releases his budget on March 9, the government funding action moves to Congress and we’ll let you know how you can help push Congress in the right direction.
