The recently passed Trump-backed bill is an atrocious assault on vulnerable populations, with devastating consequences not only in Iowa but across impoverished communities nationwide. Cloaked in legalese and false promises of reform, this legislation strips courts of the power to enforce contempt citations for violations of temporary restraining orders and injunctions — a move that fundamentally undermines judicial accountability. In practical terms, this means that individuals and communities — especially poor, disabled, undocumented and Black and Brown — will be left defenseless against government overreach, corporate abuse and civil rights violations.
Abraham L. Funchess Jr.
This bill amounts to a green light for lawlessness at the highest levels, with the powerless bearing the greatest cost.
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 04: U.S. President Donald Trump, joined by Republican lawmakers, holds a gavel after signing the “One, Big Beautiful Bill” Act into law during an Independence Day military family picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on July 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. After weeks of negotiations with Republican holdouts Congress passed the “One, Big Beautiful Bill” Act into law, President Trump’s signature tax and spending bill. The bill makes permanent President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, increase spending on defense and immigration enforcement and temporarily cut taxes on tips, while cutting funding for Medicaid, food assistance and other social safety net programs. (Photo by Eric Lee/Getty Images)
In this moment of crisis, the Black Church must rise with moral clarity and prophetic urgency. We must develop and deploy a theology of liberation justice — rooted in the biblical witness of Exodus, the teachings of Jesus and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement — to equip the faithful for loving political resistance. This is not the time for privatized piety or sanitized sermons. Rev. Albert Cleage said, “You’re not serious about liberation struggle until you adopt a revolutionary theology.” It is time for a Spirit-led uprising grounded in the sacred dignity of every person. Our pews must become training grounds for justice. Our pulpits must thunder with truth. Our love must take to the streets.
Unchecked, the tax and spending bill, signed into law on July 4, will erode the last protections against tyranny. But the Black Church has always stood in the breach. We must again. As Dr. King taught us, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” The gospel compels us to act — not merely with words but with organizing, protest, policy engagement and radical compassion. The soul of our nation — and the safety of our most vulnerable — depends on what we do next. Liberation is not a metaphor. It is our mandate.
