CURRENT SITUATION: The work of the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction (the "Super Committee") is taking place at a time of rising poverty in the United States and around the world. The Census Bureau recently reported that the number of people living in poverty in this country increased to over 46 million. This is the highest number of people in poverty ever recorded by the Bureau. Almost one in four children in this country lives in poverty. Overseas, according to the State Department almost 13 million people need emergency assistance due to the drought and famine that are ravaging East Africa. Hundreds of millions more live in dire poverty.
The "Super Committee" has begun meeting in an attempt to reduce the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next ten years. Programs that serve poor and vulnerable people at home and abroad are in danger of receiving devastating and disproportionate cuts.
USCCB POSITION/CHURCH TEACHING: The bishops recently reminded the Super Committee that their decisions are "profoundly moral, and they have enormous human consequences." They offered several criteria to help guide difficult budgetary decisions. Read the letter here.
Archbishop Timothy Dolan, USCCB President, recently highlighted the urgency of poverty in America in a letter to his brother bishops, saying, "Widespread unemployment, underemployment and pervasive poverty are diminishing human lives, undermining human dignity, and hurting children and families." He noted: "Our Catholic tradition begins with respect for the life and dignity of all, requires a priority concern for poor and vulnerable people, reflects the ties and bonds of solidarity, respects the mutual relationships of subsidiarity, and promotes the dignity of work and protection for workers."
Archbishop Dolan's letter to the Super Committee.
Archbishop Dolan's Letter to Bishops on the Economic Situation
Archbishop Dolan's call to preach and educate.
Bishop Howard Hubbard, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Ken Hackett, President of Catholic Relief Services, wrote the Senate noting that cuts to poverty-focused international assistance will cost lives. This aid, which is only one percent of the federal budget, feeds millions of people, helps subsistence farmers grow more food, provides HIV/AIDS medicines and vaccines to prevent disease, and supports orphans, victims of natural disasters, and refugees fleeing for their lives.
USCCB has also developed a website that serves as a clearinghouse for resources about U.S. poverty and another site on global poverty. USCCB has taken a lead in the Circle of Protection. Visit that web site for more information.
Good messages:
1. With so much poverty, we need to invest in creating jobs.
2. We must protect people who are out of work by continuing Unemployment Insurance.
3. It makes no sense to cut programs that are working to reduce poverty such as SNAP/Food Stamps and low-income tax credits.
4. It makes no sense to cut Medicaid and CHIP when they've done so much to provide medical care to children.
5. Slashing services like nutrition aid, Medicaid, Unemployment Insurance, education ... not only harm vulnerable and poor people, these cuts keep our economy from growing and creating jobs.
Remember, Senator Rob Portman is on this committee. Let him hear your thoughts! Let him know personal stories of how these programs help the poor. Put a face on the issue.
We are asking that the poor and most vulnerable be protected. We need to be fair in how we look at both cuts and revenue. All our members of Congress need to hear the message.
You can go to the USCCB Action Center.
