Mainline Church Leaders Give Last Ditch Effort to Stop Budget Cuts
Representatives of America’s largest mainline denominations are calling on lawmakers to reject the fiscal 2006 federal budget.
WASHINGTON – Representatives of America’s largest mainline denominations are calling on lawmakers to reject the fiscal 2006 federal budget, saying the proposed package would harm the poorest and most vulnerable by cutting from safety net programs like Medicaid and student loans.
"We write to each of you now to urge you to listen to both your hearts and your constituents, and oppose once and for all the FY '06 Budget Reconciliation Spending Reduction package when it comes before the House on February 1,” leaders of five multimillion-member denominations wrote in a Jan. 29 letter to House members.
The representatives – the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, presiding bishop, Episcopal Church; the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the general assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); the Rev. John H. Thomas, general minister and president, United Church of Christ; and James Winkler, general secretary, General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church – were also at the forefront of large rallies last year aimed at opposing similar legislation.
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Despite the protests, the U.S. Senate has already approved the measure – the first major effort to reform federal benefit programs in eight years. The House is expected to pass the measure on Wednesday, clearing the bill for President to sign into law.
Overall, the bill is estimated to save $38.8 billion in the next five years and $99.3 billion from 2006 to 2015 through cuts on various programs such as student loans, crop subsidies, Medicaid and Medicare.
The religious leaders noted that the food stamp program was spared from the cuts, but still urged House members to reject the overall cuts to the poor.
"You 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 wrote in the letter.
