As Congress prepare the federal budget for fiscal year 2025, the ERLC sent this letter on behalf of Southern Baptists to convey which priorities should be considered during these negotiations. Also included is a full list of items that are of concern and support.
Brent Leatherwood wrote:
We are grateful for the hard work exhibited by appropriators and staff in ensuring that longstanding, baseline protections such as the Hyde Amendment were preserved in both the House and Senate appropriations bills. While Hyde and other historical riders provide essential protections for life and conscience, they alone are insufficient to prevent taxpayer dollars from going to causes and organizations that Southern Baptists find morally objectionable.
As Southern Baptists, we affirm the full dignity of every human being and believe that every life is worthy of protection and celebration, beginning with the preborn and extending to all of our neighbors. As a result, we recognize the weighty call on our lives to respond by “affirm[ing] the sacredness, full dignity, and worthiness of respect and Christian love inherent to every single human being, without any reservation.” The following priorities are included in this letter:
- The ERLC is committed to a vision for appropriations that values and supports life.
- The ERLC is committed to conscience protection policies because they uphold two of our most deeply held convictions.
- The ERLC is committed to opposing harmful gender transition procedures.
As a nation, our values and priorities are most clearly displayed through the allocation of our resources. It is our desire for those resources to be used in a way that promotes life, religious liberty, and the flourishing of all our neighbors. It is in light of these core principles that we highlight the areas of concern and support below. As always, we are committed to praying for each of you as you navigate these complex budgetary matters and ask God to give you wisdom and discernment as you continue your work.
