Press Release from the National Council of Churches USA

A phrase in a letter from 20 church leaders to members of Congress denouncing federal budget cuts would be immortalized in law if Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) had his way.

In a letter sent to Congress October 25, church leaders said efforts to cut $50 billion in essential programs for the poor, while maintaining tax cuts for the rich, “would be a moral disaster of monumental proportion.”

Lautenberg introduced November 3 an amendment renaming the Republican reconciliation bill on the budget, the “Moral Disaster of Monumental Proportion Reconciliation Act.”

“The problem isn’t just that the numbers don’t add up,” Lautenberg said. “It’s that the values don’t add up. This bill would close the door of opportunity and cut critical services to the poor, the elderly, the sick, and the hungry. And it would add billions of dollars to the national debt that our grandchildren will have to repay.”

In their letter, the church leaders noted that despite pledges to help those affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Congress has now proposed a budget that will hurt the poor and benefit the wealthy. “The hurricanes were a natural disaster,” they wrote. “But this proposed budget reconciliation would be a moral disaster of monumental proportion – and it is one that can be avoided.”

In addition, Lautenberg noted that the National Council of Churches warned the bill is “contrary to all the fundamental Christian values.”

The name of the bill should be changed because “honesty is also an American value. Let’s call this bill what it is – a moral disaster,” Lautenberg said.

It is unlikely that the Senate will allow debate on Lautenberg’s bill, however, it has added a much needed faith perspective to the budget debate.

Related Link: Read Senator Lautenberg's Press Release