Washington, DC – With Honor Action thanks Senator Chris Coons and Senator Todd Young for introducing the Building Civic Bridges Act; companion legislation is being led by Rep. Derek Kilmer and Rep. Andy Barr in the House of Representatives.
Civic bridgebuilding can be defined as finding ways to bridge the political divide and support efforts to promote civil discourse. The bill would establish an Office of Civic Bridgebuilding within AmeriCorps to support these efforts across the country, train members in these programs, and support research on effective strategies to bridge the divides we are currently experiencing in American society. The new office would fund nonprofits, public institutions, schools, religious groups, and other organizations working to heal toxic polarization in the United States through civic bridgebuilding and community reconciliation.
Since With Honor Action’s founding, national service and civic education have been at the forefront of our efforts to increase civility in our communities and politics, and despite this period of historic partisan rancor, bills like the Building Civic Bridges Act would be a step in healing our divisions.
“With Honor Action thanks Senator Coons and Senator Young for introducing the Building Civic Bridges Act,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “We believe our country can break through polarization and be reunited through shared experiences like national service. We will continue to work to decrease partisanship in Congress and seek more avenues for Americans to reconnect, rebuild, and restore a national sense of civic engagement.”
In previous years, With Honor Action has been at the forefront of the fight to expand service opportunities for Americans and to restore a national sense of civility. In 2021, With Honor Action successfully advocated for a nearly $1 billion expansion of AmeriCorps, which increased living stipends for over 250,000 participants, and worked with the For Country Caucus to introduce the Inspire to Serve Act, legislation modeled on the recommendations of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service.
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With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to service with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. Learn more about our work at WithHonor.org
With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization’s policy and social-welfare arm.
With Honor has an affiliated federally registered “super PAC” called With Honor Fund II.