June 2005: Federal budget

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By Jan Nunley
Washington Window
Vol. 73, No. 7, June 2005

[ENS] The 109th Congress has now completed the first round of legislation on the FY '06 Federal Budget, and the results are disappointing to those hoping for changed priorities reflecting moral concern for the poor.

"As advocates for social justice, we are being challenged mightily by this Congress," said Maureen Shea, director of the Office for Government Relations of the Episcopal Church. "This budget fails the test outlined by Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold of compassion, concern for those at home and abroad, and serving the common good."

On March 8, Griswold joined leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church USA, United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society in issuing a statement questioning the priorities of President George W. Bush's 2006 Federal Budget. They asked Congress to remember "the Gospel story of Lazarus and the rich man and noted that the 2006 budget had much for the rich man but little for Lazarus."

On April 28, after Congress made some revisions in that budget, the same leaders concluded: "As we view the FY '06 Federal Budget through our lens of faith, this budget, on balance, continues to ask our nation's working poor to pay the cost of a prosperity in which they may never share. We believe this budget remains unjust." They called for rejection of the budget resolution. That resolution narrowly passed along party lines in the House of Representatives 214 to 211, and 52 to 47 in the Senate.

Shea noted that others in the faith community have been equally strong in raising concerns about the budget. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops urged members "to consider the moral dimensions of the decisions they make when setting the fiscal priorities for our nation," adding that "these decisions will have real human consequences, which can help or hurt people, strengthen or weaken family life, and advance or jeopardize the future of our nation." After final passage of the budget resolution, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism asked: "How can we continue to erode our social safety net, while providing tax cuts to those at the top of the income scale? To do so flies in the face of 2,000 years of religious teachings."

With the budget resolution in place, appropriations committees in both the House and the Senate must report by Sept. 15 so-called "reconciliation" legislation in which they must decide on specific cuts of $30.5 billion in entitlement and other mandatory programs over five years. Difficult decisions lie ahead, particularly as valued programs will be pitted against one another for funding.

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