Human dignity belongs at the center of our health care decisions.
It is the neighbor putting off a doctor’s appointment because they cannot afford the bill. The parent stretching a prescription to make it last until payday. The family wondering how they will pay for both health insurance and rent.
Behind every health care budget and policy decision are people. People created in God’s image. People whose lives matter regardless of their income, employment, age, or health.
As Congress debates the future of Medicaid and financial assistance for health coverage, and Nevada prepares for the 2027 Legislative Session, we must keep asking: Will these decisions help our neighbors receive the care they need?
Having an insurance card matters. So does finding a provider, affording medication, and receiving care when it is needed.
For Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada, protecting human dignity means advocating for accessible, affordable health care and listening to those who face barriers to receiving it.
Our faith calls us to love our neighbors. That love takes shape in how we care for one another—and in the policies and budgets we support.
As we prepare for Nevada’s 2027 legislative session, hunger justice needs our attention now.
The Trump administration has proposed narrowing eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, by ending a policy that helps qualifying households access food assistance through TANF-funded programs. This proposal is not final, and the number of Nevadans who could lose assistance is still unknown. Public comments are due December 10, 2026.
For families already choosing between groceries, rent, medication, and keeping the lights on, losing food assistance could make an already difficult situation worse.
Our congregations and food pantries will continue serving our neighbors. We also need public policies that ensure people have enough to eat.
Take action with an ELCA Action Alert.
Contact Nevada’s congressional delegation. Urge them to protect SNAP and oppose changes that increase hunger or create additional barriers for eligible households.
Contact your state legislators. Ask them to prioritize food security in the 2027 budget, including adequate SNAP staffing, application assistance, children’s nutrition programs, and emergency food resources.
Submit a federal public comment by December 10. Explain how losing food assistance would affect your household, congregation, or community. Submission instructions are available in the USDA proposed rule notice.
Share your experience. Help lawmakers understand what food insecurity looks like in Nevada. Share only what you are comfortable making public.
Here is a message you can adapt:
“I am a Nevada resident and a person of faith concerned about hunger in our communities. Please protect access to SNAP and ensure Nevada’s next budget supports families facing food insecurity. I urge you to seek a Nevada-specific assessment of the proposed federal changes and take action to prevent more neighbors from going hungry.”
Our call to love our neighbors belongs in our budgets and public policies.
The election is over. The needs of our neighbors remain.
Families still need groceries. Seniors still need affordable housing. Parents still need access to health care for themselves and their children. And too many Nevadans are working hard while struggling to cover the basics.
As newly elected leaders prepare to take office, campaign promises must become policies that make a difference in people’s lives.
For LEAN, that means advocating for affordable health coverage, housing stability, hunger justice, and relief from rising utility costs. It means asking elected officials what they will do, when they will act, and whose voices will help shape those decisions.
Our faith calls us to stay engaged beyond Election Day. Loving our neighbor includes paying attention to budgets, showing up at hearings, sharing our stories, and holding leaders of every party accountable.
From the pews and ballot boxes to the halls of government, our work continues.
Until all are fed, housed, clothed, and able to live with dignity.
From the pews and ballot boxes, we turn our focus to the halls of the Legislature.
On February 1, Nevada begins its 120-day legislative marathon. The coming session brings new opportunities to advance policies that affect everyday Nevadans. The election sent a clear message about the desire for change, particularly as families struggle to afford to live here.
But opportunities also come with constraints.
Democrats secured a two-thirds supermajority in the Assembly but remain one seat short in the Senate. Governor-elect Aaron Ford has promised not to raise taxes. Nevada’s Economic Forum meets November 16 to approve the revenue forecast that will help shape the budget he presents in January.
Nevada requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers to pass legislation that raises public revenue, including taxes and certain fees. That means proposals requiring that threshold will need bipartisan support in the Senate.
These realities will shape the session. So must the needs of our neighbors.
Throughout the session, LEAN will help break down the budget and explain what its choices mean for our communities. One question we will keep asking is whether Nevadans can afford the energy they need to stay safe and healthy, through extreme summer heat and cold winter nights.
For many, the struggle is simply to keep the lights on.
It is the parent calculating how much gas they need to get to work until payday. The senior deciding whether to turn up the heat. The family opening a utility bill and wondering what else they can cut.
The election is over. Those bills are still coming.
Reporting shared by the Nevada Current highlights a difficult reality: bringing down energy prices takes more than campaign promises. Global oil markets, war, and supply disruptions limit how quickly elected officials can deliver relief.
But acknowledging those limits does not relieve our leaders of their responsibility to act.
As we prepare for the session, our advocacy must keep our neighbors’ basic needs at the center:
Help households afford essential energy costs.
Invest in weatherization and energy efficiency so families can keep their homes comfortable for less.
Strengthen protections for people at risk of losing essential utility service.
Demand transparent utility decisions and meaningful opportunities for communities to be heard.
Ask who pays for new energy infrastructure, and ensure households are protected when large industries seek more power.
These are choices about our budgets, our priorities, and how we care for one another.
As Lutherans, we understand that loving our neighbor includes caring about whether they have a warm home and enough money left for food and medicine.
There may be no magic wand for lowering energy prices. There is still a responsibility to pursue meaningful relief.
It’s a question I’ve been thinking about a lot this week. After last week’s election, Nevada’s political landscape looks very different. As our state prepares to welcome new legislators and say farewell to others, we’re reminded that elections bring changes in leadership, but the needs of our neighbors remain.
Nevada saw several historic firsts.
Former Assembly Majority Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson was elected to represent Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District. She will be the first Democrat to represent the district. Here at home, Attorney General Aaron Ford defeated Governor Joe Lombardo and will become the first elected Black governor west of the Mississippi River. Democrats also gained a two-thirds supermajority in the Assembly and came one seat short of a two-thirds supermajority in the Senate.
As we prepare for the legislative session in the coming months, LEAN will be finalizing our policy priorities and preparing resources to help people move from the pews and ballot boxes to the halls of the Nevada State Legislature. Our work continues regardless of who holds public office. Families still struggle to put food on the table. Neighbors still need affordable housing, accessible health care, quality education, and opportunities to live with dignity. And people of faith are still called to seek justice, show compassion, and work for the common good.
We give thanks to everyone who has served in the Nevada Legislature, recognizing the time, energy, and dedication public service requires. We congratulate those who have been elected and extend our gratitude and good wishes to those concluding their service. We also recognize the legislative staff, public servants, advocates, and volunteers whose work helps sustain our shared civic life.
A new legislative session brings renewed opportunities to build relationships, listen, learn, and advocate. We will continue reaching across differences, working with lawmakers and community partners, and lifting up the concerns of neighbors whose voices may too easily go unheard.
Our faith reminds us that hope does not depend on election results. It grows through faithful relationships, persistent advocacy, and the conviction that we can work together for a more just and compassionate Nevada.
As this transition unfolds, we invite Nevada Lutherans to pray for everyone who serves our state, Democrats and Republicans, those entering office, those departing, and those continuing to serve. May they be guided by wisdom and humility, attentive to the needs of those who struggle, and steadfast in their commitment to justice, compassion, and the dignity of every Nevadan.
The faces at the Capitol may change. Our calling to love and serve our neighbors does not.
With gratitude for those who have served and hope for the work ahead, we invite you to join us for our annual Lutheran Lobby Day. Together, we’ll bring our faith and our neighbors’ concerns to the Capitol.
