ELCA advocacy staff sent a statement to members of Congress and the White House Faith Office on Sep. 24 which “strongly urges the members of Congress and President Trump to return to the negotiating table now and work in a bipartisan manner to fund the government.” The U.S. government could run out of funding on Oct. 1 if Congress does not pass new legislation.

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The fight over next year’s federal education budget has begun. Congress and the White House have released competing proposals for funding the nation’s K–12 schools in fiscal year 2026.

Education advocates warn that these plans would impose steep cuts on the nation’s most vulnerable students and disadvantaged school communities.

Under the House Appropriations Committee’s plan, the U.S. Department of Education would face a 15% cut, reducing its budget to about $67 billion. Within that, Title I funding — the largest federal program supporting schools that serve children from low-income families — would be cut by about 26–27%. This threatens critical services such as reading and math intervention, tutoring, and other supports for students.

The House plan also eliminates Title II funding (which supports professional development for educators) and Title III funding (which provides dedicated support for English learners).

The White House has proposed a different approach: consolidating 18 existing K–12 funding streams into a single $2 billion block grant. While this is not a direct cut to Title I, it would significantly reduce dedicated funding for programs such as rural schools, civics education, and support for students experiencing homelessness.

Together, these proposals would reshape how federal education dollars reach communities — and leave schools serving high-need students with far fewer resources.

Dr. Mary Streufert (she/her) will be speaking on Sept. 30th for Part 1 of our webinar series! Dr. Streufert serves as the director for Gender Justice and Women’s Empowerment in the Office of the Presiding Bishop in the ELCA. The description of her talk is in the attached posters, which are in English and in Spanish. Register at www.tinyurl.com/LutherWedding500.

Part 3 is on October 2, 2025 with the Rev. Dr. Elaine Neuenfeldt and Dr. Elyssa Salinas-Lazarski speaking about faith and sexuality. The webinar series is free and open to all. Register now at www.tinyurl.com/LutherWedding500

National Public Lands Day was Friday! Did you get a chance to get outside? Nevada is home to some of the nation’s most stunning landscapes — from Great Basin National Park and Red Rock Canyon to Valley of Fire State Park and Lake Tahoe. With over 80% of Nevada’s land public, there are endless places to explore and protect.

Meanwhile in Washington, senators are pushing for an appropriations bill that would provide about $3 billion for the National Park Service.

At LEAN, we believe protecting public lands is part of our commitment to creation care — ensuring these sacred spaces are preserved for generations to come.