Democratic senators and faith leaders held a Capitol vigil, calling the GOP budget plan a moral failure that hurts the poor.

Prayerful Protest Challenges Budget’s Impact on the Vulnerable

On Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers joined clergy members on the Capitol steps to protest the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, framing the legislation as a moral crisis. Led by Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia and faith leaders including Rev. Jim Wallis, the group held a prayer vigil, blending scripture, gospel songs, and testimony to denounce proposed cuts to healthcare and social services.

Rev. Wallis, who previously advised the Obama administration, opened the gathering by declaring the protest a “spiritual procession,” emphasizing that faith cannot be excluded from politics. “We don’t want to let Jesus Christ be left outside the Senate chamber for this vote,” he said, condemning the bill as a “big bad bill” that would strip healthcare access from 60 million people.

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware cited the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan to argue for compassion in policy. He warned that the Republican proposal “literally takes the food from the mouths of hungry children to pass an enormous tax cut for the very wealthiest,” calling it the “definition of an immoral bill.”

Warnock Draws Historical Parallels and Personal Resolve

Senator Warnock, also the senior pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, reflected on his arrest during a similar 2017 protest against Trump-era budget cuts. He recounted standing in the Capitol rotunda with Rev. William Barber, saying, “A budget is not just a fiscal document, it's a moral document.”

“Show me your budget and I’ll show you who you think matters and who does not,” Warnock told the crowd, echoing remarks he made eight years earlier. He described being “arrested by the heartbeat of children” and said his conscience compels him to continue protesting policies he believes harm vulnerable communities.

“I’m not a senator who used to be a pastor,” he added. “I’m a pastor in the Senate.” Warnock vowed to keep agitating through legislative means, arguing that his commitment to justice and faith are inseparable from his public service.

The vigil was attended by religious leaders in robes and vestments, who read scripture and sang hymns underlining their opposition to the proposed legislation. They described the gathering as a moment of moral reckoning, demanding that lawmakers consider the human cost of fiscal decisions.

Though the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has gained momentum among Republican lawmakers, critics warn it would undercut critical social programs while advancing tax benefits for the wealthy. The public protest on the Capitol steps marked a rare moment of coordinated spiritual dissent inside the political arena, amplifying faith-based resistance to the GOP budget strategy.