From the Desk of Sister Emily TeKolste, February 13, 2025

In December of 1971, 47 Catholic Sisters responded to a growing awareness that the people they served were being held back by systemic issues by traveling to Washington, D.C., to learn how to advocate for federal policies that would address the barriers these Sisters saw in their own communities. At the end of this legislative seminar, they agreed to form a national NETWORK of people fighting for better policies for the common good — and based on Catholic Social Teaching. 

In the 53 years since, NETWORK has been at the heart of power in the United States, pushing for policies that will benefit those who are most vulnerable among us. We helped to pass the Affordable Care Act to ensure everyone has affordable access to quality healthcare and then protect it from the 2017 attempted repeal. We helped expand the Child Tax Credit in 2021 to cut child poverty in half. And so much more. 

This year, we’re facing massive threats to policies we worked hard to establish, as Trump-led Republicans are pushing to cut over $5 trillion in social programs like food for hungry children and health care for those who can’t afford it on their own — all to pay for new tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy.

They think they can get away with it by distracting us through scapegoating immigrants and people of color in our country. But we know that when we come together across our differences, we can build a world that works for all of us — that ensures the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share so that we all have affordable healthcare, food, and housing; good schools; safe roads; and so much more.

Do you want to get involved in advocacy? Reach out to me at etekolste@networklobby.org or to my colleague Catherine Gillette (one of our podcast guests this month) at cgillette@networklobby.org.