Catholic Charities chief calls House Budget "morally objectionable

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February 2006

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Catholic Charities chief calls House Budget
"morally objectionable"
Alexandria, VA— Catholic Charities USA on February 1 decried the passage of a “morally objectionable” budget bill by the U.S. House of Representatives that contains drastic cuts and changes to programs such as Medicaid, child support enforcement, child welfare, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

By a close vote of 216-214, the House passed a budget reconciliation conference, which was approved by the Senate in late December.

“Congress had one last opportunity to defeat a morally objectionable spending plan that places a disproportionate burden on low-income working families, abused and neglected children, the elderly and disabled, and other vulnerable people. Sadly, they failed America’s most poor and vulnerable today by passing a budget that further weakens an already fragile safety net,” said Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA.

Every day, Catholic Charities agencies witness the struggles of low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities to make ends meet. Over the past few weeks, Catholic Charities USA and local Catholic Charities agencies nationwide mobilized to try to save these vital social service and health care programs from being ripped apart.

“These are tough times and there is a convincing need for our government to spend tax dollars more responsibly. This budget does little to create a sound spending plan directed at reducing the deficit or funding other urgent budget priorities. Yet, the cuts manage to do egregious harm to the social safety net that protects the most vulnerable in our nation,” said Snyder. “By slashing new holes in the safety net, this budget will make it even harder to get health care, child care, and help for abused and neglected children.”

“This is an extremely sad point in our nation’s history in terms of our commitment to the least among us,” said Fr. Snyder. “This measure, with its harsh budget and program changes, will have long-term, harmful effects on countless low-income families across our nation.”

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