06 AUG 2022
Immigration, Civil Rights, Latino and Faith Organizations Urge Senators to Reject Poison Pill Amendments Attached to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
WASHINGTON, DC – Over the past week, hundreds of organizations, representing many constituencies, along with a coalition of over 55 national faith-based organizations have called on Senators to oppose anti-immigrant amendments during the reconciliation vote-a-rama process. Senate Republicans are expected to propose amendments that target immigrant communities and derail the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. Earlier this week, Senator Bob Menendez urged “all Democrats to stand firm and united against Republican amendments that would hurt immigrant families.”
Nearly 300 organizations also signed a letter urging Senators to vote NO on poison pill amendments, as reported by Punchbowl. The groups specifically asked Senators to oppose amendments that attempt to harm the health, education, or economic well-being of immigrants, further militarize the border, and end asylum at the border.
You can read the individual statements from groups below:
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Advocacy Organizations Call Upon Senators to Reject Poison Pills During Vota-a Rama
Human Rights First
Human Rights First Urges Senators to Reject Anti-Refugee and Immigrant Poison Pills
WASHINGTON DC - In anticipation of the Senate considering the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Human Rights First calls on Senators to vote no on any amendment to this legislation that would harm asylum seekers and immigrants and be a “poison pill” that could derail this important legislation.
“The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 seeks to deliver important outcomes to communities across this country and for generations to come,” said Michael Breen, President and CEO of Human Rights First. “Amendments seeking to end asylum by codifying and indefinitely extending the Trump Title 42 expulsions policy would significantly undermine the long history of congressional commitment to providing a fair asylum process in this country, and violate our legal obligations under international treaties and U.S. law. Senators must remain united in opposing all harmful anti-immigrant amendments and deliver for America by passing the agreed-upon Inflation Reduction Act.”
Human Rights First was proud to join the nearly 300 organizations on this letter to the Senate today echoing this call.
National Immigration Law Center
NILC Statement Urging Democrats to Reject Harmful Anti-Immigrant Amendments in Crucial Reconciliation Bill
WASHINGTON — Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement ahead of the upcoming deliberation in Congress on a health care and climate bill:
“With Congress poised to act on unprecedented legislation that addresses critical issues facing our communities on healthcare and our planet due to increasing climate disasters, lawmakers must reject any attempt to poison this historic legislation with unrelated, harmful immigration amendments.
“Democratic leaders must be unequivocal and ensure any anti-immigrant amendments are kept out of this bill, including opposing any final version that departs from the climate and healthcare deal to codify the Trump administration’s Title 42 asylum ban.
“For years, Republicans have repeatedly blocked efforts to pass real legislative solutions to update our dysfunctional immigration system. Capitulating to their politically motivated scapegoating of immigrants, and allowing them to use a climate and health care bill to block people seeking safety and freedom, would be unconscionable.
“A deal’s a deal, and there’s no reason to allow political gamesmanship to poison this legislation with anti-immigrant provisions that would harm our country.”
New York Immigration Coalition
Immigrant Advocates Call on Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senate Democrats to Pass Clean Budget Reconciliation Bill and Reject Anti-Immigrant Amendments
New York, NY—Yesterday, alongside nearly 300 organizations, the New York Immigration Coalition signed on to a letter warning Senate Democrats to reject all harmful immigration-related amendments in the budget reconciliation bill expected this weekend. The New York Immigration Coalition calls for the passage of a clean Inflation Reduction Act without the inclusion of any anti-immigrant amendments.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Yesterday, we joined nearly 300 organizations across the country in demanding that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats stand up for immigrant communities and pass a clean Inflation Reduction Act without the inclusion of any anti-immigrant amendments. While our country needs meaningful action from our representatives in Washington, conservative leaders are weaponizing the budget reconciliation bill to score cheap political points. With real lives on the line, Republicans in Congress continue to treat immigrant communities as political game pieces—this is morally reprehensible, and Senate Democrats cannot entertain these obvious and cruel ploys. The Senate must pass a clean Inflation Reduction Act devoid of all harmful immigration amendments that only endanger people seeking freedom and safety in our country.”
UnidosUS
Protecting the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
Dear Leader Schumer and Senator Manchin:
On behalf of UnidosUS, I write to applaud your leadership in the development of the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022,” which would make health coverage and prescription drugs more affordable, ease inflation, combat climate change, and ensure the wealthy pay their fair share in taxes. The package would make a significant difference in the lives of millions of Americans, especially at a time when many still struggle to pay for the rising costs of housing, food, gasoline, and other necessities. We therefore call on you and the Senate to ensure that the critical provisions in the hard-fought deal are not harmed by cuts or added poison pill amendments and that the complete package passes the Senate intact.
Too often amendments brought forward during vote-a-rama aim to undermine the impact of and reduce votes for the bill and score political points by demonizing communities of color and immigrants. We are particularly concerned that this vote-a-rama will be used to spread toxic misinformation and limit access to affordable health coverage, including reproductive health; undercut access to the safety net by all Americans, including those in mixed status families; harm immigrants and asylum seekers; hinder the education of our children about factual U.S. history; and obstruct police accountability and public safety, to name a few. The package should not be sullied or damaged by such efforts. Senators should hold the line and vote down any poison pill amendment outside the realm of the merits and the spirit of this agreement.
It took us—the Congress, the Administration, advocates, and Americans of all backgrounds— much work and compromise to get to this point. On the eve of a critical vote on a package that, if enacted as agreed to, will be a historic health, climate, and inflation lifeline for people across the country, we ask you to protect the agreement embodied in the “Inflation Reduction Act.” Thank you.
Unidos US and 16 other Latino organizations
Dear Leader Schumer and Senator Manchin:
As civil rights and advocacy organizations that work to empower the more than 62 million Latinos in the U.S., we commend your leadership in announcing the “Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.” If enacted, the proposal would ease the pressure of rising prices and provide significant investments that would benefit Latinos and their families and the future of our country, including more affordable health coverage and prescription drugs, meaningful action against climate change, and greater assurances that the wealthy will pay their fair share in taxes. We write to express our support for the bill and urge you and the Senate to ensure that the critical provisions in the legislation are not harmed by cuts or poison pill amendments.
As you know, the vote-a-rama process too often allows the consideration of amendments that aim to undermine the legislation and score political points by demonizing immigrants and communities of color. We are particularly concerned that this vote-a-rama will be used to limit access to affordable health coverage; attack immigrants, asylum seekers, and mixed-status families; and obstruct police accountability, to name a few. We urge you not to let these efforts succeed and work with your colleagues in the Senate to vote down any poison pill amendment outside the merits and spirit of the legislation that you have drafted.
Much work has been done since the original budget reconciliation bill was conceived. The agreement pending in the Senate required all of us to compromise; while none of us got everything we wanted, we acknowledge the historic difference the bill’s provisions will make in the lives of our families and communities. We now have an opportunity to deliver a major victory for the American people. We urge you to hold the line on the legislation and not allow cuts or poison pill amendments to unravel what you have fought so hard to build.
Signed by Esperanza United, Green Latinos, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), Hispanic Federation Inter-University Program for Latino Research, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Mi Familia Vota, National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives, National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, National Hispanic Media Coalition, National Hispanic Medical Association, National Latinx Psychological Association, SER Jobs for Progress National, Inc., UnidosUS, United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, Inc., and Voto Latino.
The Immigration Hub
SENATE DEMOCRATS MUST REJECT GOP’S EXTREME ANTI-IMMIGRANT AGENDA, FOCUS ON DELIVERING HISTORIC PACKAGE TO UPLIFT AMERICAN FAMILIES
In response to the Republicans’ plan to put Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act at risk, Kerri Talbot, Deputy Director of the Immigration Hub, issued the following statement:
“Just as Democrats are about to deliver critical relief that will lower healthcare and energy costs for millions of families and take on climate change, Republicans are determined to push anti-immigrant amendments meant to tank this important piece of legislation – but Democrats must stay united against these political ploys.
“It’s crystal clear that Republicans are not interested in improving our immigration system to make our economy stronger for everyone - instead, they want to derail this breakthrough legislation with extreme policies that end America’s asylum system and jeopardizes the lives of millions. Democrats must reject the GOP’s extreme agenda that takes away our freedoms, divides us and attacks hardworking immigrants, who are the economic engine of our nation. They must stand united and vote down all poison pill amendments that would stand in the way of delivering this historic legislation.
“Contrary to what Republicans believe – this isn’t the time to play politics. This is about delivering a legislative solution that’ll empower all hardworking families – and nothing should get in the way of that.”
American Immigration Lawyers Association
The American Immigration Lawyers Association Urges Senators to Do No Harm to Immigrants
Washington, DC – As the Senate considers the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) urges senators to keep the bill focused on its goals: deficit reduction, the climate crisis, and prescription drug prices. Senators should vote no on any amendments that would exclude or harm immigrant communities and that would function as “poison pills” killing the entire bill.
AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson stated, “AILA is urging senators to be vigilant in stopping ‘poison pill’ amendments that restrict visas for immigrant families and workers, make it harder for immigrant families to access pandemic-related and other health programs, and waste taxpayer dollars on unnecessary enforcement or detention. Those proposals are cynical and politically-motivated attacks – they do nothing for Americans struggling during the pandemic and through this period of economic recovery. Of course, AILA stands ready to partner with any senator interested in advancing real solutions that constructively improve the immigration system to the benefit of all families and communities across the United States.”
AILA President Jeremy McKinney added, “Reportedly, senators may offer amendments that would cause havoc, not just endangering the bill’s passage but also scapegoating refugees and other immigrants. AILA hopes senators will stand against attempts to block refugees seeking protection at the U.S. border,” he said referring to former President Trump’s Title 42 order that still prevents many people from getting humanitarian protection. “Title 42 has only made the situation at the border worse and has been widely condemned by advocates and policymakers, including officials at the Centers for Disease Control. Extending a falsely justified policy that was never based in medical science or effective at preventing the spread of COVID, would be disgraceful.”
Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
CGRS Urges Senators to Reject Anti-Asylum Poison Pill Amendments
Ahead of their consideration of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS) urges Senators to vote no on any amendment that would undermine the rights of people seeking asylum and jeopardize the passage of this crucial bill. We anticipate that anti-immigrant lawmakers will propose amendments that would codify and indefinitely extend the Title 42 expulsion policy, escalate draconian immigration enforcement measures, and block immigrant families from critical health and economic supports. We implore Senators to reject these cynical attempts to advance an anti-immigrant agenda and score political points ahead of the midterm elections, which could become a “poison pill” and derail the bill entirely.
“We are counting on our leaders to stand strong in their values and oppose any amendment to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that would harm people seeking asylum and immigrants,” CGRS Director of Policy & Advocacy Kate Jastram said today. “Enshrining the Title 42 policy in law would fly in the face of Congress’ longstanding commitment to welcome refugees and violate U.S. treaty obligations to protect people fleeing persecution. It would have deadly consequences for families, children, and adults seeking safety. That Congress would even consider such a radical and dangerous proposal is outrageous. We urge Senators to vote no.”
Today CGRS joined 286 state, local, and national immigration, civil rights, public health, business, education, religious, labor, and other organizations in a letter calling on Senators to reject any and all anti-immigrant amendments to this legislation.
America’s Voice
Don’t Derail Inflation Reduction Act with Unrelated, Cruel and Failed Trump Immigration and Border Policies
Washington, DC – The Inflation Reduction Act is transformative legislation that will fight climate change, promote economic fairness, increase healthcare security, and reduce prescription drug prices.
Yet upcoming votes in the U.S. Senate are likely to be roiled by Republican poison pill amendments on unrelated immigration and border provisions. The purpose of these is to divide Democrats in hopes of derailing legislative progress on the Inflation Reduction Act. If enacted, they would codify cruel and failed Trump policies.
According to Douglas Rivlin, Director of Communication for America’s Voice: “The Inflation Reduction Act would be a big step forward for America and Americans and should be enacted. Democrats should remain united and see this bill across the finish line in the face of cynical GOP tactics to thwart this landmark legislation.
We cannot allow this historic investment to be derailed or loaded down with unrelated policies on immigration and the border that together seek to codify the end of asylum and re-institute the cruelty and chaos of Donald Trump and Stephen Miller. Democrats should not take the Republican bait to vote for immigration and border policies that Republicans are falsely framing as successes. The reality is that every policy Trump and Miller crafted made things worse at the border and Democrats have no business helping extend or codify them.”
United We Dream
Congress Must Reject the Cruelty of Title 42 and Vote ‘No’ on Any Anti-Immigration Amendments in the Reconciliation Package
Immigrant justice is racial justice, and keeping Title 42 in place has denied millions of Black and brown immigrants their right to seek safety
Washington, D.C. - This week, Congress faces the possibility of roll call votes on Title 42 and other anti-immigration policies as the Senate considers the latest version of the budget reconciliation package. In the reconciliation process, the bill will be open for amendments during the “vote-a-rama” process.
Since its inception in March 2020, Title 42 has been used to expel approximately 1.8 million people seeking asylum, the majority of them Black immigrants. Over a million people have been sent back to face persecution, climate disasters, lack of access to clean water and food, and sometimes even death.
Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, Deputy Director of Federal Advocacy of United We Dream, said:
“For members of Congress who have touted their commitment to racial justice, now is the time to act! The moment is overdue to reject Title 42 and vote ‘no’ on any amendment that would seek to continue it or establish any other anti-immigrant policy. Keeping Title 42 in place has already denied millions of Black and brown immigrants their right to seek safety in the U.S., separated countless families, and further eviscerated our country’s asylum system.
Some politicians are trying to use the end of the evil Title 42 as an excuse to pit us against people who are trying to seek a better life in our country, yet the vast majority of the public believe our country should build a more humane and just immigration system. Ensuring the end of the evil Title 42 is inherent to that. People will always move, and as a country we have a responsibility to live up to our values of providing a welcoming environment for people to seek asylum with dignity. Congress must rebuild our asylum system to welcome all who seek safety in our country, and reject any amendments that would hurt our immigrant communities.”
United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation, a powerful network made up of over 800,000 members, over 100 local groups and a reach of over 5 million per month. UWD’s vision is to build a multi-racial, multi-ethnic movement of young people who organize and advocate at the local and national levels for the dignity and justice of immigrants and communities of color in the United States. You can find more about UWD online at www.unitedwedream.org.
Interfaith Immigration Coalition Groups
Faith Groups to Senators: Reject Anti-Immigrant Amendments in Inflation Reduction Act
Washington, DC – For over two weeks, interfaith partners and human rights advocates joined together for “Heal Not Harm” advocacy days to demand Congress restore access to asylum. By driving daily calls to congressional offices, members and constituents of over 25 faith-based and immigrant rights organizations echoed asylum seekers’ demands to put an end to asylum-blocking Title 42—a message that’s been repeated by advocates since the policy’s inception.
This week, the Senate will take up critical climate and healthcare budget reconciliation legislation—the Inflation Reduction Act—which will be open to any and all amendments through a process called “vote-a-rama.” Senators have agreed not to include an immigration title in the bill package, including desperately needed pro-immigrant provisions. Despite this agreement, it is expected that some Senators will try to bog down the much-needed legislation with harmful anti-immigrant amendments—including extending the enforcement of Title 42.
With Title 42 already kept in place by federal court rulings, there is no need to legislatively extend the policy. Bills and amendments that claim to temporarily extend Title 42 not only drive harmful, xenophobic rhetoric, but also impose such unattainable requirements that they would make seeking asylum virtually impossible. Nearly 290 organizations raised these concerns and more in a letter to Congress this week opposing all anti-immigrant amendments, including the extension of Title 42.
The member organizations of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) remain unequivocal in their faith-rooted support of vulnerable people that have been forced to flee their homes, and in the legal and human right to seek asylum. In closing out their “Heal Not Harm” advocacy days, the IIC urges Senators to vote NO on any amendment that would harm immigrant communities and derail this important and historic bill that the nation so desperately needs.
IIC members and partners issued the following statements:
Sister Áine O’Connor, Member of Institute Leadership Team, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, said, “Anti-immigrant amendments do not belong in this bill, and using immigrants as pawns to score political points denies their essential dignity, belonging, and ultimately our own realization of our common humanity and need for one another. Immigrants are also critical contributors to our economy, and the dangerous fear-mongering against immigrants costs lives. We need only reflect on today’s third anniversary of the racist and violent mass shooting in El Paso to see the results of such fanning of white nationalism and anti-immigrant rhetoric. We call on Senators who try to ‘blame the victims,’ immigrants, to instead acknowledge that decades of failed US foreign policies in Latin America have contributed to the root causes of migration, creating the spiraling inequality and violence from which people are fleeing for their lives.”
Katie Adams, Interim Chair of the IIC and Domestic Policy Advocate for the United Church of Christ said, “The right to seek asylum is a well established international legal right, and more to the point, it is our moral duty to offer asylum to those who seek it. We urge Senators to vote no on any amendments to the Inflation Reduction Act that are anti-immigrant. It is both crass and cruel to attach anti-asylum amendments to an important piece of legislation aimed at addressing climate change and helping make healthcare more affordable for millions. It is a deliberate pitting of vulnerable groups against each other and we must continue to advocate for a welcome for immigrants, care for creation, and love of our neighbor. These things are not mutually exclusive, and as people of faith we pray our legislators embrace the grace and imagination to seek abundance and a future of real justice for all.”
“Addressing climate change, healthcare, taxes, and inflation is important and desperately needed progress – that’s why the Senate must not set up the Inflation Reduction Act to fail by adding in destructive anti-immigrant amendments,” said Melina Roche, #WelcomeWithDignity Campaign Manager. “If the Senate adopts extremist amendments—like codifying Title 42—to the budget reconciliation bill, the #WelcomeWithDignity campaign will oppose its passage. For far too long, Title 42 has harmed countless migrants and people seeking protection, including those who are especially vulnerable such as Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ asylum-seekers. Furthermore, this policy has only benefitted nefarious actors seizing on the desperation of people fleeing for their lives.”
“Anti-immigrant amendments to the Inflation Reduction Act must not pollute this moment for many on healthcare, taxes, and even climate. It would be a toxic and hollow victory if the Senate permits the codification of Title 42,” said Pablo DeJesús, Executive Director, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice. “Such amendments are a deplorable effort to set one community against another, perpetuating wrongheaded, injurious policy. As Unitarian Universalists we find this circumstance antithetical to our belief that the sacred holds us all in love, charging each of us to value the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Congress has a moral duty to uphold a well-functioning and compassionate asylum system; we, therefore, ask Senators to vote no on any such anti-immigrant amendments.”
“Jesuit Refugee Service/USA urges all Senators to oppose any effort to limit access to asylum during upcoming legislative proceedings,” said Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Director. “Providing protections for those seeking asylum is a universally recognized human right that must not be undermined and is a critical part of who we are as a nation. Welcoming our brothers and sisters seeking protection and safety is also fundamental to JRS’s Christian and Catholic values, and is a commitment shared by many faith traditions. We must ensure that our nation responds to the biblical call to ‘welcome the stranger’.”
Fran Eskin-Royer, Executive Director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, said, “NAC urges the U.S. Senate to avoid attaching disingenuous amendments on immigration and refugees to the Inflation Reduction Act. These possible anti-immigrant amendments would further damage our failing immigration system and further harm the innocent men, women and children who are escaping dangerous homelands in search of safety and welcome. Our Statue of Liberty and American values embrace all. So should we welcome all, grounded in the knowledge that each and every one of us is endowed with dignity given to us by God.”
“Congress must take action on pressing issues of the day through the Inflation Reduction Act. However, the United Methodist Church calls on Congress to act consciously and refuse any amendments that would be anti-immigrant in tenor and practice,” said Rev. Kendal L. McBroom, Director of Civil and Human Rights for the United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society. “We believe in the inherent dignity, value, and worth of all people, including immigrants and asylum seekers. As such, we encourage Congress not to enshrine Title 42 as law and to provide the necessary protection and resources for those in this community.”
“Congress has a historic opportunity to improve the lives of families across the country,” said Mary J. Novak, Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. “Now is not the time to play politics. The Inflation Reduction Act will address the threat of climate change, lower healthcare costs, and support hardworking families—and no poison pills should get in the way of its passage.”
“The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 includes important climate change and health care provisions and is far too important to be derailed by anti-immigrant, anti-asylum amendments,” stated Barbara Weinstein, Director of the Reform Jewish Movement’s Commission on Social Action. “A vote-a-rama with little opportunity to scrutinize language for harmful or unintended consequences is not the place to make changes in immigration policy. Time and again, the Jewish people have experienced the consequences of harsh policies and indifference to the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable people. It is this history that inspires us to encourage all Senators to vote no on any anti-immigrant amendments to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.”
“Congress has the opportunity to help American families and our planet by passing the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Unfortunately, some see this legislation as an opportunity to advance an anti-immigrant, anti-human rights agenda and seek to amend this legislation,” said Christy Gleason, Vice President for Policy, Advocacy, and Campaigns at Save the Children. “Save the Children believes that all children, regardless of where they are from, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. We call on Congress to stop playing politics when the lives and safety of children are at stake, and reject efforts to use reconciliation to advance anti-immigrant measures.”
“I urge the U.S. Senate to remember that we don’t have to sacrifice one set of values for another,” said Marisa Limón Garza, senior director for policy and advocacy at Hope Border Institute. “By maintaining the focus of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 on the core challenges it was originally designed to address, then we retain its integrity, best help the American people, and stand in our values.”
“Franciscan Action Network strongly urges Senators to oppose any amendment to the Inflation Reduction Act that would attempt to codify Title 42,” stated Sister Mare Lucey, Associate Director of FAN. “Our faith and Franciscan values call us to heal—not harm—migrant sisters and brothers who seek access to the asylum process. Congress must work to repair this country’s broken immigration system so that it treats asylum seekers with respect and dignity, and recognizes the desperate situations that compel them to risk seeking safety in the United States.”
“As the Senate votes on the Inflation Reduction Act, we urge lawmakers to reject any anti-immigrant amendments that could derail this important legislation,” said Alison Kahn, Policy Staff at the American Friends Service Committee. “Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine light within each person, we will continue to advocate for a humane and welcoming immigration system that protects, respects, and upholds the human rights of all migrants. We urge all Senators to reject any amendment which would codify Title 42, impede access to humanitarian protections, or further militarize our borders and communities.”
“This is an important moment for Senators to stand with all communities to pass this historic bill without any poison pill amendments that would harm immigrant and refugee communities,” said Elissa Diaz, Associate Director of Policy and Advocacy at Church World Service. “Church World Service urges Senators to embody bold and courageous leadership by rejecting any anti-immigrant amendments including amendments seeking to codify the dangerous and discriminatory Title 42 policy, which has caused irreparable harm to asylum seekers and the communities who have stood ready to welcome them. Our country is at its best when we live up to our moral and legal obligations to welcome individuals and families seeking safety. As a faith-based organization, we believe in the inherent dignity of all people and we urge lawmakers to oppose measures that would undermine this core value and focus on passing a clean bill that will benefit communities across the country for years to come.”
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.