WASHINGTON (RNS) — Prominent pastor and anti-poverty activist the Rev. William Barber and two others were arrested while praying in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Monday (April 28), an action he said would be part of a recurring series of demonstrations aimed at challenging the Republican-led budget bill.

The arrests occurred roughly 15 minutes after Barber, the Rev. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Steve Swayne, director of St. Francis Springs Prayer Center, started praying in the Rotunda as dozens of police stood nearby, some prepared with plastic handcuffs. The three took turns praying, lamenting potential budget cuts to social safety-net programs such as Medicaid, often chanting together: “Against the conspiracy of cruelty, we plead the power of your mercy.

“When we cannot depend on the courts and the legislative power of human beings, we can still depend on … the power of your love and your mercy and your truth,” Barber said in the Rotunda as police began to surround him.

“To think that we went in to pray — pray against the budget, but to pray nonetheless — and the order now is that, evidently, if you pray, you are seen as violating the rules of the Rotunda,” he said. “What we hope is that folks will see this and it will begin to remove some of the fear, and people will understand that this is the time — now — that we must engage in nonviolent direct action to register our discontent.”

Rev. William Barber arrested in Capitol Rotunda after praying against Republican-led budget by Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service, April 28, 2025

Bishop Barber makes good trouble

Last week, I had the good fortune of speaking with William J. Barber, II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove who publish “Our Moral Moment” on Substack. If you missed our conversation, I’d encourage you to watch it.

We talked about their plans for “Moral Monday,” which took place today. I asked Bishop Barber if he thought he may be arrested in the Capitol for daring to pray for American democracy under the Rotunda, where Trump insurrectionists carried the Confederate flag.

They ended up getting arrested for their efforts, along with Steve Swayne, director of St. Francis Springs Prayer Center.

I just got off the phone with both Bishop Barber and Reverend Jonathan. They are in good spirits, though Bishop Barber is in physical pain from being handcuffed and treated like a criminal.

This is a moral outrage of the highest degree.

They are men of god.

Bishop Barber makes good trouble by Steve Schmidt, steveschmidt.substack.com, April 28, 2025

 Below are 10 key takeaways from The High Moral Stakes report:

1. Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Wants To Cut The Social Safety Net.
   • This unelected body has proposed $2 trillion in cuts, which threatens Medicaid, SNAP, Head Start, and other vital programs.
2. Medicaid Is Under Siege:
   • Proposed budget cuts risk the health coverage of 36 million Americans, including older adults and people with disabilities.
3. American Housing Is In Crisis:
   • Slashing federal rental assistance will place millions at risk of homelessness amid a worsening housing affordability crisis.
4. Social Security and Medicare at Risk:
   • Without dramatic cuts to other areas, these lifelines are the only protection for 68 million seniors and millions with disabilities.
5. Tax Breaks for the Ultra-Rich:
   • A proposed $4.5 trillion in tax cuts will enrich billionaires while burdening working families with higher taxes.
6. Eroding Workers’ Rights:
   • Policies that suppress the minimum wage, weaken unions, and roll back labor protections threaten decades of progress for working people.
7. Food Assistance Is Being Stripped Away:
   • A potential $230 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) jeopardizes the nutritional health of 40 million people — including children.
8. Mass Deportations and Immigrant Injustice:
   • Aggressive immigration policies and deportation orders will devastate families and harm our communities and economy.
9. Militarizing the Budget:
   • Proposed increases of up to $345 billion for the Pentagon and mass deportations divert resources from essential social programs.
10. Threats of New Wars:
    • Moves toward military intervention both abroad and at home signal a dangerous future of conflict instead of investing in human well-being.

These are just a few key takeaways about how proposed budget cuts will negatively impact the nation as a whole and vulnerable communities.

In response to these immoral attacks, Repairers of the Breach calls on the public to engage in nonviolent moral dissent. 

10 Takeaways from New Report, “The High Moral Stakes: Our Budget, Our Future”