wfn.org | [ENS] Mainline leaders urge Congress to reject budget cuts

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Episcopal News Service
Monday, January 30, 2006

Mainline leaders urge Congress to reject budget cuts

Presiding Bishop and others decry reductions in programs serving working
poor, children and elderly

[ENS] Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold and the leaders of four other
mainline Christian denominations have called on Congress to defeat the
fiscal year 2006 federal budget reconciliation spending reduction
package
due for a vote on February 1, saying it is harsher than even previously
understood.

In early December, the five leaders said the version of the budget then
under consideration failed to bring good news to the poor. They
criticized
Congress for making decisions they said "benefit the rich but are paid
for
by the poor and most vulnerable in our land."

The package now includes $39.7 billion in cuts over five years from
poverty-reducing programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, child support
enforcement, and student loans.

Griswold, along with Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church, the Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick of the Presbyterian Church
(USA),
the Rev. John Thomas of the United Church of Christ, and James Winkler
of
the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church,
sent
a letter January 29 to the House of Representatives as members were
returning to Washington, D.C., for the President's State of the Union
address on January 31. The five leaders represent nearly 20 million
Christians.

The House is expected to consider the budget bill, now known as the
Conference Report to S. 1932, on February 1 with a close vote expected.

Before adjourning for the Christmas recess, the Senate and House
narrowly
passed budget-reconciliation bills as part of the complicated and nearly
year-long budget process. Following a round-the-clock session, the House
passed the bill just after 6 a.m. on December 19. The vote was 212-206
with
nine Republicans joining all Democrats in opposing the bill. Many
members
complained that they had little time to review the 700-page bill.

For the Senate's part, vice president Dick Cheney cut short a trip to
the
Middle East and returned to Washington, D.C., on December 21 to cast the
tie-breaking vote, 51-50, for final passage.

The House must vote again because of changes in the bill.

Opponents have used the time since that vote to educate members about
the
bill's contents. One member, Rep. Rob Simmons (R-CT), an Episcopalian,
has
announced that after listening to constituents and learning the bill's
full
implications, he will now vote against the bill when it is considered on
February 1.

The letter from the religious leaders applauds "those of you in both
political parties who sought to prevent those living in the margins of
society from bearing the greatest burden. We are deeply grateful that
the
Food Stamp Program was spared."

However, the leaders say that "the final legislation is harsher for
those
most vulnerable and in need than previously understood." They lay out a
long
list of harmful cuts and policy changes that will hurt many low and
middle
income Americans.

"[Y]ou now have an opportunity to redeem the image of Congress in the
eyes
of the nation by rejecting cuts to those who suffer in sickness, live in
hunger, struggle in poverty, live in the cold and seek brighter futures
through education," they write.

Maureen Shea, director of the Episcopal Church's Office of Government
Relations, predicted another close vote.

"The grassroots faith community has been recognized for the important
role
it has played throughout 2005 in raising concerns about the budget," she
said. "It is a role we will continue to play in 2006 as we again seek a
budget that addresses those most in need."

The full text of the January 29 letter can be found online at:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3654_71303_ENG_HTM.htm.

A list of some of the most "egregious" cuts and policy changes that were
included in the Conference Report to S. 1932, compiled by the Office of
Government Relations, can be found at
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3654_71300_ENG_HTM.htm

To see previous statements on the budget from the mainline leaders and
Action Alerts from the Episcopal Public Policy Network, go to:
www.episcopalchurch.org/eppn

Previous statements from the mainline leaders can be found at:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_59751_ENG_HTM.htm
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_65527_ENG_HTM.htm
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_70004_ENG_HTM.htm

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