A Moral Budget is Possible

If Congress Works for the People

Laura Peralta-Schulte
May 1, 2026

 

Congress is pushing an immoral budget that prioritizes billions more for detention and deportation while families struggle to afford food, health care, and housing. At a time when communities are facing rising costs and deep insecurity, our tax dollars should be used to help people thrive—not fund harm and division. Take action today and tell your Members of Congress to reject this deportation-focused budget and invest instead in the dignity and well-being of all. 

And don’t forget—visit NETWORK’s 2026 budget landing page to print and share our new (!) budget zine and rally posters.

The Big Bad Budget law (H.R.1) has had over nine months to do real harm in communities across our country, and people are really feeling it now. Food, health care, and housing are less affordable than ever, and masked agents have terrorized and trampled on the rights of people in our city streets. But as Congress prepares to fund the government next year, we can begin the work of mitigating that damage.  

Last year, President Trump and Congressional Republicans upended the normal way of funding our government and used the reconciliation process—which fixes differences between the versions of a bill passed in each chamber—to force their extreme agenda onto our country. Now they’re planning to do the same thing again, with Senate Republicans releasing a budget resolution that would use reconciliation to end the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. They also want to use the process to make further harmful cuts to vital human needs programs and environmental protections. 

Enough is enough. 

Budgets are moral documents, and they reflect the priorities of a country and its government. In our outreach to leaders in both the House and Senate, NETWORK has urged lawmakers to promote the common good by funding programs that serve individuals, families, and communities, respecting the dignity of each person and their ability to thrive. And we demand that our lawmakers pursue that goal through the normal appropriations process, allowing the guardrails that help promote responsible policy. 

NETWORK has reached out to both houses of Congress to urge a vision of a budget that works for all people. Here’s some of what we are asking for: 

 

Access to Food and Healthcare 

 

Fully fund the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which moves food from farms to food banks to people facing hunger. This program (TEFAP) helps food banks meet the nutritional needs of families and benefits farmers with hundreds of millions of dollars in food purchases. 

Fully fund programs that meet the needs of women, infants, children, and elderly people in the country. 

Fully fund research and services that keep mothers and infants safe and healthy.   

 

Participation in Society 

 

Help Americans exercise their right to vote by investing in the enhancement and modernization of our election infrastructure security. 

Fully fund Second Chance Act programs, which serve people returning from prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities. These programs improve public safety by reducing the likelihood that returning citizens will re-offend and return to incarceration. 

 

Care for Immigrants 

 

Support no new funding to deport or detain immigrant families and ensure guardrails to protect human rights in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) funding. 

Fund assistance for refugees, including trafficking survivors and unaccompanied children, and ensure legal services for children in removal proceedings. 

 

Housing and Jobs 

 

Fully fund Rental Assistance Programs: Today, 1 in 4 renters in the U.S. spend more than half of their income on rent, and rates of homelessness are rising in communities across the country as growing numbers of people are unable to afford a place to call home. 

Fund workplace innovation, adult education programs, apprenticeship programs, youth violence prevention, and other services provided by the federal government. 

We know that when Members of Congress work together across divides for the common good our people do better. We call on Congress to prioritize the needs of those living paycheck to paycheck to create a future were all can thrive. 

Laura Peralta-Schulte is NETWORK’s Senior Director of Public Policy and Government Relations.