Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the essential support that faith-based organizations give to the communities around them, including during times of crisis. During Hurricane Florence, in 2018, volunteers from Samaritan's Purse were on the ground after the hurricane had devastated thousands of homes across my State. Lorraine Jenkins, a resident of New Bern, my mother's childhood home in North Carolina, said that she ``had faith but needed a little more strength'' when she returned to her home to find it flooded with 18 inches of water. Thankfully, several volunteers from Samaritan's Purse were there to pray with Lorraine to give her the strength that she needed. During Hurricane Dorian, in 2019, the Salvation Army provided over 43,000 meals, 55,000 drinks, 25,000 snacks, and 48 full cleanup kits to victims. Mr. Speaker, faith-based organizations also provide key support services to children, many of whom are victims of the opioid crisis. This crisis has left over 92,000 children in foster care and in need of loving homes. Faith-based adoption agencies play a pivotal role in finding homes for these children. Sadly, despite the clear benefits faith-based organizations provide to the communities around them, there remains an ongoing push to strip them of Federal funding or to even shut them down for following their sincerely held religious beliefs.…”