Letter from the Cooperstown Area Interfaith Coalition for Social Justice

Executive Orders Will Do Harm

We are writing on behalf of the Cooperstown Area Interfaith Coalition for Social Justice, a group of individuals from many faith-based organizations who meet regularly to address community needs and ways in which we might help. We have deep concerns regarding recent actions taken by our federal government which will have profound negative consequences on people in our communities, as well as communities around the country and throughout the world.

The Trump administration, with its unelected appointee billionaire Elon Musk, has initiated executive orders which will do harm to many in our region, in our country, and around the world, especially those who are least able to advocate for themselves. We believe the list of harms is extensive. Here are some of the most egregious:

• Housing for our homeless population in Otsego County is facilitated by Catholic Charities. That funding will be threatened by the Trump administration’s actions.
• The Refugee Resettlement Coalition, which has sought to legally resettle refugees from foreign countries to our community will no longer be able to function—in fact, this has already happened. In some cases, those refugees may have to return to their home countries and face violence.
• Musk has called for drastic reductions in Medicaid spending and now the Republican House has included these reductions in their Trump-endorsed budget proposal. This will result in higher maternal and infant mortality—already an embarrassment for the wealthiest country on the planet. It will result in adverse health outcomes for our friends and neighbors.
• Children in Sudan who depend on USAID-funded soup kitchens will die (likely already have).
• Mothers and children throughout Africa will die of HIV without life-saving medications provided through USAID.
• American farmers will lose an enormous market for their products currently brokered through USAID to feed starving populations worldwide in its Food for Peace program.
• Ukrainian energy infrastructure will be hobbled without USAID funding. The disgraceful abandonment by Trump of the heroic Ukrainians in favor of war criminal Putin is unconscionable.
• Federal law enforcement officers who have been fired and, if Trump has his way, will have their names published simply for doing their jobs will be at risk for violence—as will their families.
• People in our LGBTQ+ communities will be deprived of their civil rights, will be denied medical care and will be excluded from scientific research protocols designed to improve health and wellbeing.

And more…

We believe that these, and other actions taken by this administration, are immoral and antithetical to the concepts of mercy, compassion, integrity and humanity which should be at the core of any civilized society. We ask all to join us in opposition to these actions and to demand, in the strongest terms, that our elected officials reverse these actions.

1 Corinthians 13.1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

For the Cooperstown Area Interfaith Coalition for Social Justice
James Dalton MD, the Rev. Jessica Lambert, Carol Beechy MD, Kathy Allen, Anne Blabey, Richard Blabey, Maureen Broeking, Linda Craig, Peter Craig, Deb Dickinson, Karen Dunlap, Sarah Dunlap, Karen Mihan, Sarah Wilcox