FY26 USCCB - ADW SOAR Act Senate spprops letter

This June 25, 2025, letter from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to Senators Bill Hagerty and Jack Reed passionately champions increased funding for the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act, emphasizing the transformative D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP). Highlighting the program’s success in enabling nearly 12,000 low-income D.C. students since 2004 to attend schools of their choice, including esteemed Catholic institutions, the letter praises OSP for empowering parental choice and uplifting underserved communities, particularly African-American and Hispanic families in D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8. It urges the Senate to fully fund SOAR at its authorized $60 million for FY26, free of restrictive conditions, to address the 24% scholarship reduction from 2021-2022 to 2024-2025 and to ensure equitable educational opportunities. Rooted in Catholic teachings on parental rights, the letter calls for a clean appropriation and reauthorization to sustain this vital lifeline for disadvantaged families.