How safe are you? I ask that question because I met with church volunteers last week and we talked about the fact that it’s not just immigrants who are unsafe in our community, it’s also transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people who will likely lose their gender-affirming, life-saving health care if the Republican regime leading the federal government has their way. In short, the current administration in the nation’s capital wants to eradicate anyone who cannot or will not conform to white-dominant, heterosexual, able-bodied standards.

In response to the concern I raised, one of the people in our meeting who is part of a multi-cultural, interfaith family looked around and said, “Everyone here is at risk. None of us fit the standard they are looking for. Several of us are disabled or have disabled family members in our home. Many of us are older. They want to take our Medicare so we die, too. My husband is Jewish. Every time Trump talks about antisemitism, it becomes more dangerous for him and all Jews in the United States.”

Another person spoke up and said, “My spouse is struggling with cognitive function. We’re not safe either. What will happen to those of us who have posted on social media our dismay at what’s happening or those of us who have protested and otherwise showed ourselves to be opposed to the cruelty and chaos that is harming so many people? They want us all gone.”

It’s not that any of us should be surprised. When the current occupant of the White House was running for office, he called immigrants, liberals, and “leftists” vermin. He promised to eradicate them all. And he is pressuring Congress to carry out his will in the budget that passed the House and is being debated by the Senate.

The federal budget is a moral document. It spells out priorities and intentions. It notes who will garner governmental favor and who will be dispensable. The wealthy will benefit immensely from tax cuts and other benefits in the proposed budget. Immigrants and trans folk top the list of whom the regime deems dispensable and that shows up in the budget. If Christian nationalists who authored Project 2025 have their way, other at-risk groups will be next.

The question for those who understand that our well-being is tied to every other person’s is this: “When are you going to act? And how?” If our trans and non-binary neighbors lose their health care, what can you do to help them? They are your neighbors. They work in our hospitals. They scan and bag our groceries. They teach our children. They run small businesses. They work on local farms and help feed us. They go to church and synagogue with us. They have the same dreams of a safe and happy life just like you.

If we don’t do everything we can to protect the most vulnerable among us, the federal government will test our tolerance level even more. More people will disappear. More will be imprisoned. And more of our neighbors will die. Trump made those promises while campaigning and now he’s making good on them.

It’s time to reach out to your neighbors. Ask how they are. Do what you can to help them. It’s time to voice your concerns about this immoral budget proposal to our elected officials, especially senators, no matter their political party. It’s time to take to the streets and put our bodies on the line in peaceful demonstrations such as the “No Kings Day” rallies on June 14. The welfare of our community and the survival of our democratic republic depends on your action.

Rev. Mark Seifried is the Pastor of Haydenville Congregational Church and lives in Northampton.