Help Wanted

While in Washington, DC on Ash Wednesday, the 44th day of the current administration, I made the time to meet with UCC clergy serving in the Potomac Association before leaving for my home. We were present on Capitol Hill to advocate for a fair and just budget that would include safety nets for the poor who are among the most vulnerable in our society.

Our time together was shared over lunch, after a morning of advocacy and public witness. The time was scheduled for them to share and for me to hear how their communities were being impacted by the purported elimination of federal waste. The conversation turned to how they and members of their congregations are faring with the current cuts to federal departments and programs.

The White House Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was created by an Executive Order signed by the 47th President following his inauguration on January 20. The purpose of DOGE: “This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.” Section 4 of said order states: “Modernizing Federal Technology and Software to Maximize Efficiency and Productivity.”

Regardless of the content of the Executive Order, DOGE has been an integral part of dismantling and scaling back the federal government. Thus far, over 100,000 federal employees have lost their jobs because of DOGE and its quest to “modernize federal technology.” As cuts are made, the ripple effects are being felt in communities. People are losing their jobs. People are losing essential services. People are losing supports they need for daily living.

The conversation with these pastors was heartbreaking. Families who are scrambling to figure out what to do next. In a city like Washington, DC there is much that revolves around the US government. Government workers are affected, as are those whose income is government related, meaning entities that receive federal funding.

Here is some of what I heard:

• Households are losing income. People are coming to terms with what that means for them.
• Anxiety is high. Those who remain employed are faced with uncertainties. There is no telling who will be next.
• Pastors are faced with attending to increasing needs in their congregations and for some their families are also affected as their life partners are now unemployed.
• Communities are already being affected as people begin to ponder other employment elsewhere.

These are people’s lives. This is one of many cities that is being affected. As programs are cut, ripple effects are experienced in the states, locally and globally. There is a crisis being created by these cuts and this extends to the disappearing services and programs which are also affecting people.

This is not theoretical; this moment is not about software. This is distressing and degrading. The disregard for people is palpable. The number of job losses continues to grow. The number of agencies extensive.

Over 100,000 have lost their jobs with court cases pending in the resistance to these cuts and their far-reaching effects. The US is reporting 245% increase in jobs cuts.

The cry for mercy continues and should be heard from every pulpit. The cry for mercy was heard on January 21 from the national cathedral. That plea was quickly dismissed and the beater of the message was vilified for daring to ask for mercy for immigrants and refugees.

Now the plea for mercy is amplifying. For government workers. For the poor. For children. For teachers. For the hungry. For those needing health care. For aid recipients in other countries.

The cry for mercy should also be heard on behalf of leaders who are silently watching the carnage, entrenched in the safety of their preserved privilege and power.

The church must not be silent. Voices of justice must be heard over the cacophony of the noisy gongs and clanging cymbals (1 Corinthians 13) expressing fear and hatred, absent of love and compassion. Justice is needed here too.

The US government has long partnered with religious institutions and grassroots organizations to care for the poor, the stranger, the disenfranchised and those in need. We are living through a time when compassion is openly dismissed and the church is complicit in its misguided attempt to support practices that are merciless, greedy, and lacking in compassion.

The prophet asked: “What does the Lord require of you” (Micah 6:8)?

Definitely, not this moment. Not our silence. Not our ignorant support of cruel policies. Not our dismissal of loving our neighbors as ourselves. Not religious languages that are absent of justice. Not excuses that absent ourselves from accountability for what is going on around us.

Next time you hear about agencies being cut and dollars being saved, consider the lives that are impacted. The people losing jobs and services are also your neighbors.