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On Friday, Oct. 31, a group of faith leaders from Southern Arizona convened by the Pima County Interfaith Council met with Congressman Juan Ciscomani’s staff to urge him to work to immediately extend SNAP and Medicaid benefits. We also requested that Rep. Ciscomani meet in person with faith leaders as soon as possible. The meeting was organized with urgency as it became clear that politics were being prioritized over people’s access to food. In less than 24 hours, we gathered signatures from over 60 Southern Arizona faith leaders who joined our call for leadership to restore basic assistance for Americans.

A summary of the letter we delivered is this:

As spiritual leaders of congregations across a variety of faiths, and across the political spectrum, we are tasked with the care of people in our communities. While we come from different traditions, we are united in the belief that all people are beloved children of God and are made in the image of the divine. We are united in the belief that our religious texts call us to support the dignity and worth of every person, and to live with love toward our neighbor. Our cities and municipalities are at their best when they care for the vulnerable and seek the common good for all people.

In our meeting and in action alerts shared among our networks, we called on Rep. Ciscomani and Sens. Gallego and Kelly for an urgent response on behalf of our neighbors and community members. While various solutions are being explored, the reality is that Americans woke up on November 1 to an unnecessary crisis that has no immediate end in sight. We are gravely concerned about the calamity that is about to engulf thousands of families in Southern Arizona due to the continuing shutdown of the federal government and are disturbed by the imminent cutoff of SNAP and Medicaid. The safety net, already strained, is about to break. Many families and children will be hungry. This is not only a health concern that will put people at risk, but it is also a spiritual concern.

Local charities and food banks, our churches, temples, and faith-based organizations have and will strive to make up the difference for individuals and families, but it will not be enough. Many families and children will be hungry. We know this very well, because our congregations continually collect and distribute food and assistance to the poor, and the requests have increased dramatically. One pastor whose congregation runs an active food ministry wrote about being “hit rather hard this week with many people with fearful eyes and minds.”

We urge our representatives to work diligently with their fellow Members of Congress to come to a solution that will ensure the welfare of people who rely on SNAP to feed themselves and their families, and AHCCCS benefits that our families rely on. We currently only have one member of the House. Until Congress swears in Rep. Grijalva, we urge Rep. Ciscomani to recognize the needs and interests of people across Southern Arizona.

We implore our elected officials to work for justice and compassion now, and to cease voting on measures that are based in partisan politics. There are real lives at stake, real people in our synagogues, congregations, and communities. We urge mercy, compassion, and kindness for those people who will be gravely affected by this action.