Our Issues
Inspired by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, the National Advocacy Center advocates on a national level for laws that benefit the poor and the disenfranchised – particularly families, women and children. We work side by side to create the culture of justice we seek – and our zeal, our love in action, always makes a difference.
Women & ChildrenNAC seeks justice for women and children; for those who are trafficked, forced to migrate and oppressed by abject poverty.
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Poverty
NAC calls and acts to free those who are oppressed by poverty and economic inequities and to advocate for equality in health care.
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Immigration & Refugees
NAC is committed to working for compassionate and comprehensive immigration reform to better the lives of refugees and migrants in our nation.
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Our Advocacy Goals & Priorities for 2025
NAC’s advocacy priorities are determined by the concerns of the U.S. Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, its U.S. social service agencies and an underlying commitment to those on the margins, particularly women and children. Focus areas also are influenced by what is moving in Congress and the work of our coalition partners.
With the new Administration and 119th Congress, we at the National Advocacy Center along with our partners, knew to expect much policy change. In fact, we saw this change begin on President Trump’s very first day in office, with the issuing of a flurry of executive orders.
But our focus as advocates remains rooted in our desire to uphold the God-given dignity of each human person. Though the winds of politics change, our commitment to lifting up the needs of the marginalized is unwavering.
Our priorities for 2025 include:
Ending Human Trafficking. We are distressed by all caught in the web of human trafficking, a crime against humanity. We recognize those in poverty, the foster care system, and the LGBTQ+ community, as well as those fleeing persecution and violence, are in situations that put them particularly at risk. We know too that race is a key part of the equation. Our commitment to all on the margins guides us to pay special attention to these factors. We know that human trafficking is ultimately a business built on the inequities between groups - a commodification of people in vulnerable situations. To end the scourge we must look at root causes.
In 2024 the NAC joined with the Alliance to End Human Trafficking in a deep dive into the connection between human trafficking and forced migration. This attention must continue in 2025. With changes in immigration policy (e.g., ending the CBP One App and severely limiting access to asylum, and pausing the refugee resettlement program), the incidence of human trafficking among immigrants will likely increase. We know from the National Human Trafficking Hotline that immigrants already constitute more than 70% of trafficking victims in the United States. We will remain vigilant, promoting policy improvements if and when possible, and working to stop further harms.
Advocating to improve the lives of Families, particularly Women and Children on the margins. This call is broad and yet critical to our mission to be in solidarity with and support the disenfranchised, marginalized and exploited and to work for the transformation of society. It includes but is not limited to:
Also critical to this call is ongoing support to the Good Shepherd agencies around the country that share our commitment to women, children and families on the margins through their direct service. With the Trump Administration’s focus on reducing or eliminating federal grants that support these types of organizations, we will carefully monitor this issue as well.
Remaining attentive and responding strategically to U.S. policy abroad, particularly as it impacts countries where Good Shepherd has programs. The United States is the most powerful and prosperous country in the world. Its foreign policies significantly affect other nations. Given its place of privilege, the U.S. has a responsibility to act with wisdom and generosity for the security and betterment of our global society. The NAC joins with its partners to lift up situations in other countries, rising from U.S. policy, that require attention and action.
Integral to our work on any of these issues is an allegiance to racial justice and equity, environmental justice, and gender equality.
2025 is a Jubilee Year, a year of hope and reconciliation in the Catholic tradition, the tradition of the religious sisters who founded the NAC. May we all lean into that hope and into a desire for reconciliation as we navigate the changes and challenges that come with this new Administration and Congress.
With the new Administration and 119th Congress, we at the National Advocacy Center along with our partners, knew to expect much policy change. In fact, we saw this change begin on President Trump’s very first day in office, with the issuing of a flurry of executive orders.
But our focus as advocates remains rooted in our desire to uphold the God-given dignity of each human person. Though the winds of politics change, our commitment to lifting up the needs of the marginalized is unwavering.
Our priorities for 2025 include:
Ending Human Trafficking. We are distressed by all caught in the web of human trafficking, a crime against humanity. We recognize those in poverty, the foster care system, and the LGBTQ+ community, as well as those fleeing persecution and violence, are in situations that put them particularly at risk. We know too that race is a key part of the equation. Our commitment to all on the margins guides us to pay special attention to these factors. We know that human trafficking is ultimately a business built on the inequities between groups - a commodification of people in vulnerable situations. To end the scourge we must look at root causes.
In 2024 the NAC joined with the Alliance to End Human Trafficking in a deep dive into the connection between human trafficking and forced migration. This attention must continue in 2025. With changes in immigration policy (e.g., ending the CBP One App and severely limiting access to asylum, and pausing the refugee resettlement program), the incidence of human trafficking among immigrants will likely increase. We know from the National Human Trafficking Hotline that immigrants already constitute more than 70% of trafficking victims in the United States. We will remain vigilant, promoting policy improvements if and when possible, and working to stop further harms.
Advocating to improve the lives of Families, particularly Women and Children on the margins. This call is broad and yet critical to our mission to be in solidarity with and support the disenfranchised, marginalized and exploited and to work for the transformation of society. It includes but is not limited to:
- Working for Economic Justice / Ending Poverty
- Addressing Violence in our Communities - Domestic and Gun Violence
- Seeking Support and Safety for Migrant Families, including Refugees and Asylum Seekers
- Caring for our Foster Youth
- Improving Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Supports
Also critical to this call is ongoing support to the Good Shepherd agencies around the country that share our commitment to women, children and families on the margins through their direct service. With the Trump Administration’s focus on reducing or eliminating federal grants that support these types of organizations, we will carefully monitor this issue as well.
Remaining attentive and responding strategically to U.S. policy abroad, particularly as it impacts countries where Good Shepherd has programs. The United States is the most powerful and prosperous country in the world. Its foreign policies significantly affect other nations. Given its place of privilege, the U.S. has a responsibility to act with wisdom and generosity for the security and betterment of our global society. The NAC joins with its partners to lift up situations in other countries, rising from U.S. policy, that require attention and action.
Integral to our work on any of these issues is an allegiance to racial justice and equity, environmental justice, and gender equality.
2025 is a Jubilee Year, a year of hope and reconciliation in the Catholic tradition, the tradition of the religious sisters who founded the NAC. May we all lean into that hope and into a desire for reconciliation as we navigate the changes and challenges that come with this new Administration and Congress.
History
Since its founding, the Congregation of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd has been devoted to the care, rehabilitation and education of those in difficulty, especially women and girls.
Building on the community's expressed desire to explicitly link its direct services to work for change in the structures of society, Good Shepherd Position Papers were written following the 2009 Congregational Chapter of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. The papers clearly articulate a longstanding commitment to social justice, and outline the issues of particular importance to the religious community.
Learn about these focus areas and how the National Advocacy Center is addressing them through its work on Capitol Hill.
Excerpts from position papers are included on the Issue pages; to read the position papers in their entirety, click here.
Building on the community's expressed desire to explicitly link its direct services to work for change in the structures of society, Good Shepherd Position Papers were written following the 2009 Congregational Chapter of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. The papers clearly articulate a longstanding commitment to social justice, and outline the issues of particular importance to the religious community.
Learn about these focus areas and how the National Advocacy Center is addressing them through its work on Capitol Hill.
Excerpts from position papers are included on the Issue pages; to read the position papers in their entirety, click here.