National Council of Churches USA
475 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10115
October 19, 2005
Dear Member of Congress:
As leaders of America’s major faith communities, we write to you at a moment of great moral urgency for our nation when hundreds of thousands of our most vulnerable citizens are at risk. We urge you to put aside partisan politics and pass a federal budget that reflects the moral priorities of the wide majority of Americans. We urge you to work for, not against, the common good of all of America’s citizens and not just a privileged few.
This is a grave time in our nation. We are in the midst of a tremendous social and economic crisis, thrust vividly into public view by the recent natural disasters along the Gulf Coast. The times demand profound changes if the quality of life is to improve for millions of families. The United States budget is a reflection of who we are and what our priorities are as a nation. It is inconceivable—in the wake of the devastating impact of the recent natural disasters—that Congress would propose $50 billion in cuts for child care benefits, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Head Start, student loans, and other vital services for people in need. In the aftermath of these disasters, such catastrophic cuts can only deepen the pain and suffering and dramatically increase the number of people living in poverty in this nation.
We watched as members of Congress vowed to help rebuild the Gulf Coast. We heard our representatives promise to make helping those affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita a national priority. Yet despite those pledges, members of Congress now stand ready to cut $50 billion in essential programs that help those in need, while maintaining excessive tax cuts that help only the wealthy. The hurricanes were a natural disaster. But this proposed budget reconciliation would be a moral disaster of monumental proportion—and it is one that can be avoided.
The role of government is to protect its people and work for the common good. This is not the time for the budget reconciliation process to create greater hardships for those who are already experiencing great suffering.
To do so is not only unjust; it is a sin. It violates all the fundamental Christian principles of loving thy neighbor, caring for the poor, and showing mercy. As religious leaders, this violation is unacceptable to us.
How is it that we show mercy for oil millionaires and not hurricane survivors? We urge you to change this destructive course of action for the sake of our nation and for generations to come.
The outrage expressed by Americans across the country to the images of injustice following Hurricane Katrina—and the subsequent outpouring of generosity from these same citizens—is a message from the grassroots that our government’s priorities and budget must reflect American values by helping those most in need at their time of need. Please call a halt to budget reconciliation negotiations that are detrimental and direct your attention to healing rather than harming our society.
Respectfully submitted,
Signed (as of October 19, 2005)
Bishop Thomas Hoyt, Jr.
National Council of Churches USA
Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar
National Council of Churches USA
The Rev. Dr. Stan Hastey
Alliance of Baptists
His Grace Bishop Vicken Aykazian
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Friend Retha McCutchen
Friends United Meeting
Friend Thomas H. Jeavons
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
His Grace Bishop Dimitrios
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Rev. Michael E. Livingston
International Council of Community Churches
His Grace Metropolitan Zachariah Nicholovos
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
The Rev. David L. Wickmann
Moravian Church in America
Rev. William Shaw
National Baptist Convention USA
Dr. Melvin Wade
National Missionary Baptist Convention of America
The Most Reverend Robert M. Nemkovich
Polish National Catholic Church of America
The Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The Rev. Dr. Major L. Jemison
Progressive National Baptist Convention
Rev. Tyrone Pitts
Progressive National Baptist Convention
Ms. Christine Laintner
Swedenborgian Church
The Rev. John H. Thomas
United Church of Christ
Mr. James Winkler
General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Church
Related Link: National Council of Churches Press Release
