
US bishops halt partnerships with federal government on aid programs, citing funding cuts
The break will inevitably result in fewer services than what Catholic agencies were able to offer in the past to the needy, the bishops said.
'As a national effort, we simply cannot sustain the work on our own at current levels or in current form,' said Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the USCCB. 'We will work to identify alternative means of support for the people the federal government has already admitted to these programs. We ask your prayers for the many staff and refugees impacted.'
The decision means the bishops won't be renewing existing agreements with the federal government, the bishops said. The announcement did not say how long current agreements were scheduled to last.
Catholic bishops sued the Trump administration in February over its abrupt halt to the funding of aid provided to newly arrived refugees, saying they are owed millions already allocated by Congress to carry out resettlement aid under agreement with the federal government.
But a federal judge ruled that he couldn't order the government to pay money due on a contract, saying a contractual dispute belongs before the Court of Federal Claims. The bishops have appealed that ruling.

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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Trump administration memo clears way for federal employees to push their ‘correct' religion on other coworkers
Federal workers should not face any punishment for trying to convince colleagues of the 'correctness' of their personal religion, according to a new set of policies from the Trump administration. 'During a break, an employee may engage another in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs,' reads one portion of the administration 's memo. 'However, if the nonadherent requests such attempts to stop, the employee should honor the request.' The memo, issued Monday by the Office of Personnel Management, comes as the White House has made a priority of promoting religious faith and stamping out what it sees as anti-Christian bias. The policy, first reported by Fox News, details a variety of other permitted religious expressions for federal workers, including keeping holy books or religious instruments such as rosary beads at their desks, wearing clothing with religious messages or symbols, and inviting colleagues to religious services on personal bulletin boards. The memo also detailed other possible examples of allowed conduct including a park ranger joining her tour group in a prayer or a Veterans Affairs doctor praying over a patient. Trump, who claims to be a Christian, with strong support among evangelicals, has made promoting religious faith a key part of his agenda. Trump-branded Bibles were sold while on the campaign trail. Once he took office, Trump created a task force in February to root out what he said was anti-Christian bias in the government and beyond. During remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast laying out the idea for the effort, the president cited the example of Paulette Harlow, whom he described as having been arrested for praying outside an abortion clinic. Harlow, who Trump pardoned along with other anti-abortion activists, was part of a group of 10 who conspired to make a fake appointment at a Washington abortion clinic in 2020, then 'forcefully entered the clinic and set about blockading two clinic doors using their bodies, furniture, chains, and ropes,' according to the Justice Department at the time. It resulted in an injury to a clinic nurse and forced a patient to climb through a receptionist's window, while another 'laid in the hallway outside of the clinic in physical distress, unable to gain access to the clinic,' prosecutors said. Protecting religious liberty and stopping faith-based discrimination has also been a key theme in the Trump administration's efforts to crack down on top university campuses, which the White House has accused of tolerating antisemitism during protests over the Israel-Hamas war. In many cases the administration has sought changes beyond reforms to religious protections at these Ivy League schools, pushing for changes including ending diversity hiring and conducting ' viewpoint diversity' audits of campus faculty and students. criticism from Catholic Church leaders and charities. Faith-based agencies are among the main providers of the now dramatically curtailed refugee resettlement effort in the U.S. and the Catholic Church has a large following within Latino immigrant communities.


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
US tariffs: Lesotho factory that made Trump shirts hard hit by US tariffs
A garment factory in Lesotho, which has produced Trump-branded golf shirts, may have to soon shut down following the massive import taxes, or tariffs, imposed by the US government earlier this small, southern African kingdom was hit with "reciprocal" tariffs of 50% - a higher rate than any other country - when they were announced by US President Donald Trump in they have since been put on hold, Trump says they will be reimposed this Friday, 1 August, along with other countries around the world, unless a separate deal is reached."We don't know how we survive this one. We are going to die," Aletta Seleso tells the BBC in a bleak voice standing outside Precious Garments, where the Trump golf shirts have been mother of one young child has worked there for almost a decade, also supporting her extended family on her monthly salary of $160 (£120).Lesotho has become known as the "denim capital of Africa". The country's garment factories also produce jeans for iconic American brands such as Levi's and the uncertainty over the future of the country's clothes industry is one reason why Lesotho declared a national "state of disaster" earlier this month in order to speed up job-creation. The BBC meets Ms Seleso during her lunch break just outside Precious joins hundreds of workers streaming out of the factory with their lunch boxes in one hand and water bottles in the other as they try to find a spot in the weak sun of the southern hemisphere winter to enjoy their home-cooked workers, with blankets wrapped around their bodies, huddle in groups with their backs to the sun as they try to soak up a bit of has been working at the factory as an embroiderer for the past eight years and had little reason to worry about her job - until the US tariffs announcement in says workers have been told that the firm "can close any time from now"."They say it's about a tariff," she the meantime, Ms Seleso and her colleagues have been told to work for two weeks a month, meaning they get just half the says it is now "so hard" for her to support her child, mother and her late younger sister's two children, who are all under her BBC has approached Precious Garments for Sam Mokhele, the secretary general of one the unions representing 150 workers at the firm, says the company had not "indicated any sign of shutting down" at the moment."But what they said was [they may have to] shut down if things do not change," he Seleso is appealing to the government to engage with the US and try to find a viable solution to the tariff her desperate situation, she at least still has an income – but others are not so the other side of town, in Maseru's Thetsane industrial site, dozens of desperate job seekers gather outside another garment factory, factory, one half of the CGM Presitex Jeans Manufacturer, has closed but there have been rumours it may soon would-be workers stand in small groups, clutching water bottles, their only source of sustenance for the day, as they listen and hope they will be among the lucky few. Among this group, mostly women, is Puleng Selane, who has been job-hunting since March. Since 2018, the mother of three has worked as a security guard, along with a variety of other young woman now relies on the sale of medical face masks to support her family - which even on a good day only brings in enough money to buy maize meal and paraffin."Now life is so hard... we often eat once a day but sometimes go to bed without any food," she says. Although the 50% tariff has been paused, Lesotho's exports to the US are still subject to a 10% tax, like the rest of the this year, its exports had not been subject to any US tariffs under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) - a law passed in Washington in 2000 to allow duty-free access to the US for goods from some countries in order to alleviate poverty and create jobs. This was part of the "trade not aid" tariffs could be death knell for US-Africa trade pactHow jeans and diamonds pushed Lesotho to the top of Trump's tariffs listThe textile and garment industry is Lesotho's largest private sector employer providing, at its peak, around 50,000 jobs, out of a population of just over two figure now hovers around 36,000 according to the government, with 12,000 jobs directly affected by the US Garments at one point hired 4,000 the Lesotho textiles boom boosted by Agoa meant that it had a trade surplus with the US - exporting more than it imports from the country. And that was why Trump imposed such high tariffs on the country, which appear to have put an end to Agoa, threatening the future of the one bright spot in the country's the relative success of the clothes factories - until now - the country as a whole is still struggling to create enough jobs for its young stands at 30% but for young people the rate is almost 50%, according to official activist Tšolo Thakeli tells the BBC that even without the latest threat to the textile sector, the situation is "tragic" as there are "literally no jobs in the country, especially for the youth"."We have graduates from every level... not having jobs. There's a serious state of hopelessness amongst the youth," he while there are myriad reasons, Mr Thakeli blames the "nepotism [and] corruption" that many allege runs rampant in the 31-year-old entrepreneur and qualified lawyer is a vocal critic of Lesotho's government and was arrested after he posted a video on social media questioning whether Prime Minister Sam Matekane's promise to create 70,000 jobs in two weeks was tells the BBC the prime minister lacks a proper plan to tackle the crisis."There's nothing tangible that the government has done or set to address the problem. [It's just] empty promises," he is denied by Trade Minister Mokhethi Shelile, who insists that the government is working to try and resolve the issue."We already had some solutions, even before the tariff was announced, because the US market was already beginning to be a difficult market for us," he tells the says the country is "already shifting to production for South Africa" and that as things stand, only "20% of the garment industry supplies the US market". Mr Shelile is speaking to the BBC outside another factory hit hard by the uncertainty caused by the tariffs. TZICC, owned by a Taiwanese national, has been operational in Lesotho since 1999, producing sportswear for the likes of JC Penney, Walmart and Costco. At the height of operations, the firm produced 400,000 garments a month but when the BBC visits, hundreds of sewing machines lie gathering dust in one of the warehouses.A manager at the firm, Rahila Omar, says the company's 1,000 employees, mostly women, have been laid off for the next four months due to a halt in orders."Because of the... pressure of the tariffs, our buyers wanted us to finish the order or the quantity as soon as we can. We were given a deadline of 30 June, but we finished before 30 June, and that's why we have a layoff," she Omar says TZICC is waiting for an update on Agoa and whether the current tariff structure would be reviewed before deciding on the next step. Even if the current 10% tax remained, without Agoa, it would not be enough for the firm to reopen as there would be "some additional charges" to consider, she while the factory also supplies clothing to South African retailers, Ms Omar says the income generated from these pales in comparison to what the firm earns from the US the government's assurance that it is working to resolve the issue - with the minister even promising a desperate passer-by who spotted him during our interview that "it's going to work [out] at the end of the day" - for Ms Seleso and Mr Thakeli, these are hollow words for the country's despondent and hopeless workforce. Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica


Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: Trump team hears pitches on access to Myanmar's rare earths
WASHINGTON/BANGKOK, July 28 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has heard competing proposals that would significantly alter longstanding U.S. policy toward Myanmar, with the aim of diverting its vast supplies of rare earth minerals away from strategic rival China, four people with direct knowledge of the discussions said. Nothing has been decided and experts say there are huge logistical obstacles, but if the ideas are ever acted upon, Washington may need to strike a deal with the ethnic rebels controlling most of Myanmar's rich deposits of heavy rare earths. Among the proposals are one advocating talks with Myanmar's ruling junta to get a peace deal with the Kachin Independence Army rebels and another calling for the U.S. to instead work directly with the KIA without engaging the junta. Washington has avoided direct talks with the country's military leaders following their overthrow of the country's democratically elected government in 2021. The ideas have been proposed to administration officials by a U.S. business lobbyist, a former adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi, in indirect talks with the KIA and some outside experts, the sources said. The conversations have not previously been reported. Rare earths are a group of 17 metals used to make magnets that turn power into motion. So-called heavy rare earths are used to build fighter jets and other high-performance weaponry. The U.S. produces very small amounts of heavy rare earths and is reliant on imports. Securing supplies of the minerals is a major focus of the Trump administration in its strategic competition with China, which is responsible for nearly 90% of global processing capacity, according to the International Energy Agency. Engaging the junta would be a sharp departure for the United States, given U.S. sanctions on the military leaders and the violence committed against the Rohingya minority that Washington calls genocide and crimes against humanity, opens new tab. Last week, the Trump administration lifted sanctions designations on several junta allies, but U.S. officials said this does not indicate any broader shift in U.S. policy toward Myanmar. The ideas pitched to the U.S. administration also include easing U.S. President Donald Trump's threatened 40% tariffs on the country, pulling back sanctions against the junta and its allies, working with India to process some heavy rare earths exported from Myanmar, and appointing a special envoy to execute these tasks, people familiar with the matter said. Some of these suggestions were discussed in a July 17 meeting in Vice President JD Vance's offices that included Adam Castillo, a former head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar who runs a security firm in the country, a person close to Vance's office said. Among those present were advisers to Vance on Asian affairs and trade. Vance himself did not attend, the source said. Castillo told Reuters he suggested to U.S. officials that the United States could play a peace-broker role in Myanmar and urged Washington to take a page out of China's playbook by first brokering a bilateral self-governance deal between the Myanmar military and the KIA. Myanmar's ruling junta and the KIA did not respond to a request for comment. While Vance's office declined to comment on Castillo's visit to the White House, one person familiar with the situation said the Trump administration has been reviewing policy on Myanmar, also known as Burma, since Trump's January inauguration and had weighed direct discussions with the junta over trade and tariffs. The White House declined to comment. The White House discussions were described as exploratory and in early stages by people familiar with them, who added the talks may result in no shift in strategy at all by Trump, given the administration's wariness about intervening in foreign conflicts and in Myanmar's complex crisis. "The officials took this meeting as a courtesy to the American business community and to support President Trump's efforts to balance the U.S. $579 (million) trade deficit with Burma," a senior administration official said when asked about the July 17 meeting. Castillo, who describes Myanmar's rare earth deposits as China's "golden goose," said he told U.S. officials that key ethnic armed groups - particularly the KIA - were tired of being exploited by China and wanted to work with the United States. Mines in Myanmar's Kachin region are major producers of heavy rare earths that are exported to China for processing. He said he had repeatedly urged officials in Washington to pursue a deal with the KIA that includes cooperation with U.S. partners in the Quad grouping - specifically India - for resource processing and eventual heavy rare earths supply to the United States. The so-called Quad grouping brings together the United States with India, as well as Australia and Japan. India's Ministry of Mines did not respond to an email seeking comment. An Indian government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was unaware of whether the Trump administration had communicated any such plan to India but stressed that such a move would take several years to materialize because it would require infrastructure to be built for processing rare earths. Another pitch to the White House was more in line with the Myanmar policy Trump inherited from former President Joe Biden. Sean Turnell, an Australian economist and former adviser to Suu Kyi, whose government the junta toppled in 2021, said his rare earths proposal was to encourage the Trump administration to continue supporting Myanmar's democratic forces. In a visit to Washington earlier this year, Turnell said he met with officials from the State Department, the White House National Security Council and Congress, and urged continued support for the country's opposition. "One of the pitches was that the U.S. could access rare earths via KIA etc," he said, adding that the group wants to diversify away from China. There have also been multiple discussions between U.S. officials and the Kachin rebel group on rare earths through interlocutors in recent months, said a person with knowledge of the talks, which have not previously been reported. In the years since the coup, Myanmar has been ravaged by civil war and the junta and its allies have been pushed out of much of the country's borderlands, including the rare earths mining belt currently under control of the KIA. A rare earths industry source said that U.S. officials had reached out around three months ago, following the Kachin takeover of the Chipwe-Pangwa mining belt, to ask for an overview of the Kachin rare earths mining industry. The person added that any new, major rare earths supply chain, which would require moving the minerals out of remote and mountainous Kachin State into India and onward, may not be feasible. Swedish author Bertil Lintner, a leading expert on Kachin State, said the idea of the United States obtaining rare earths from Myanmar from under the nose of China seemed "totally crazy" given the unforgiving mountainous terrain and primitive logistics. "If they want to transport the rare earths from these mines, which are all on the Chinese border, to India, there's only one road," Lintner said. "And the Chinese would certainly step in and stop it." For its part, the junta appears eager to engage with Washington after years of isolation. When Trump threatened new tariffs on Myanmar's U.S.-bound exports this month as part of his global trade offensive, he did so in a signed letter addressed personally to the junta's chief, Min Aung Hlaing. Min Aung Hlaing responded by lavishing praise on Trump for his "strong leadership" while asking for lower rates and the lifting of sanctions. He said he was ready to send a negotiating team to Washington, if needed. Senior Trump administration officials said the decision to lift some sanctions was unrelated to the general's letter.