I just finished participating in a White House conference call briefing on the proposed three-year domestic spending freeze that the president is scheduled to propose during the State of the Union address. As a minister in the United Church of Christ and as an advocate for those living in poverty, I want to hear the president make promises during the State of the Union that the reduction of poverty remains a top goal of his administration.
Like most Americans, I am concerned with the size of the federal deficit and agree with what Robert Greenstein, the executive director of the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, told Congress yesterday:
"If the budget is not put on a sustainable path, it is likely that low- and moderate-income Americans will suffer the most from the inevitable erosion of the average standard of living in this country. And, if rising debt does trigger a financial crisis, programs that are crucial to the well-being of less-well-off Americans are likely to bear the brunt of draconian steps taken in that crisis atmosphere to reduce deficits and debt and reassure financial markets. No one with particular concerns about the well-being of low- and moderate-income Americans can afford to ignore the long-term budget problem.”
In early January, I wrote the president and the White House Office on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and urged the President to re-affirm his election promise to reduce poverty by 50% over the next ten years.
Letter to President Obama on the State of the Union Address and Poverty
Any budget reductions must protect those living in poverty in America. “The nation’s official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. There were 39.8 million people in poverty in 2008, up from 37.3 million in 2007,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
This president inherited the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, two wars and a global climate change crisis. He continues to have a difficult task ahead of him.
My understanding is that the president retains his commitment to reduce poverty by 50% over the next ten years and that the budget that will be released next Monday will include further increases in anti-poverty programs (the stimulus package adopted last year has already been credited with helping at least 6 million Americans from falling into poverty). However, I have been given no specifics by the White House or any other source.
I will be listening tomorrow night for specifics and for further details in the president’s proposed budget that will be released on Monday.
