When Policy Reveals Our Priorities
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people…” —Isaiah 10:1–2
The protests unfolding in Los Angeles, now spreading to other cities, continue to grip headlines. They are loud. They are sensational. They are important. And they are just one of the many challenges we must address—as we can’t forget the quiet brutality of a legislative proposal that would reshape the soul of our nation.
The so-called “One Big, Beautiful Bill”1 currently moving through Congress is not just poorly designed policy—it’s an orchestrated transfer of wealth from the many to the few. It would strip 13.7 million people of healthcare coverage. It would cut programs that support low- and middle-income families, while steering massive tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, it would add as much as $2.4 trillion to the deficit over ten years. With interest, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates the increase to be nearly $3 trillion.2
Let’s be clear: this bill abandons the vulnerable to protect the powerful. It doesn’t “balance” anything—it tilts the scales even further toward injustice.
Scripture tells a different story: “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,” says the prophet Isaiah.
Over and over, our sacred texts insist: care for the poor, the widow, the stranger, the sick. It’s not a side note—it’s the spiritual center of any faithful life.
Rev. Dr. William Barber III, the co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign,3 reminds us that a moral movement must challenge not only the acts of hate and division, but also the structures that create poverty and hold people down.
This is not just bad policy. It’s a mirror—reflecting who we are willing to protect, and who we are willing to sacrifice.
As people of faith, we cannot look away. We must call this what it is: a betrayal of our shared humanity. And we must act to stop this bill’s passage—not from fear or partisanship—but from fierce compassion and moral clarity.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Where do I feel the temptation to look away from what is quietly being dismantled in the background?
How can I center love—not just anger—in my response to systemic harm?
What biblical or spiritual teachings do I return to when I need clarity about protecting the most vulnerable?
A Prayer for the Day
A Cry for Justice and Mercy
God of the widow, the worker, the weeping child,
We feel the tremble of injustice in the ground beneath us.
As the powerful draft policies of harm in sterile rooms,
Stir in us the holy fire of compassion and clarity.
Make us bold in truth-telling and tender in presence.
Protect those who will suffer the consequences of indifference.
Remind us that every budget is a moral document—
And we are accountable for what it chooses to bless or curse.
Amen.
Spiritual Practice
The Budget as Sacred Mirror
Take ten minutes today to sit quietly and reflect on the idea that a national budget is not just fiscal policy—it is a moral and spiritual document. Look up a line item from the proposed “One Big, Beautiful Bill”—perhaps a cut to SNAP benefits or Medicaid—and write the name of a person you know who would be impacted. Make it personal.
Next, write a letter—not to a senator or representative (though you can/should do that too), but to your own spirit. What kind of world are you willing to defend? What kind of God do you believe asks this of you?
Finally, light a candle. Let it burn as a quiet act of protest, of remembrance, of resolve. Not all fire is destruction—some fire refines, clarifies, and warms the path ahead.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
June 14, 2025 - On June 14—Flag Day—No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance. From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism—and show the world what democracy really looks like. Find a protest in your city HERE. I will be out there with you!
SOLD OUT!!! July 20-25, 2025 - The Art of Wilding: A 5-Day Expedition in Wyoming for Women Leaders. Click here to learn more.
August 11, 2025, 2pm ET - Dr. Andrew Root and I will be hosting a 6 part series on Spirituality in the Secular Age based on his research. The dates are August 11, 18, September 8, 15, and October 6, 13. Mark your calendars! More on this soon.
September 4, 4:30pm ET - I will be collaborating with the Anderson Forum for Progressive Theology to host a conversation with Thomas Jay Oord on Open and Relational theology. It’s a FREE event. Register here.
October 15-18, 2025 - Converging 2025: Sing Truth Conference (all musicians invited!) at Northwest Christian Church in Columbus, OH. Register here!
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text
https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/