52 ELCA Synod Bishops Urge Congress To Stop Budget Reconciliation 05-194-JB

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Saying they are "religious leaders seeking justice for millions of vulnerable and dispossessed people in our nation," 52 bishops representing synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) wrote to the U.S. Congress urging members to oppose attempts to move forward on budget reconciliation measures Congress is considering. Copies of the letter were delivered Oct. 12 to members of Congress. The bishops said they represent diverse regions but speak with one voice about the "fundamental responsibility of the government, as an expression of the will of the people, to protect the least of its citizens and provide for the poorest in our society." The synod bishops' letter follows a similar request from the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop. He joined with four other U.S. religious leaders Sept. 13 urging Congress to stop the federal budget reconciliation process for 2006. This year's federal budget resolution binds Congress to reconcile or cut mandatory or "entitlement" programs by $35 billion, said Karen Vagley, director, Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs, the ELCA's federal public policy office,Washington, D.C., in remarks to the recent ELCA Conference of Bishops meeting Sept. 29-Oct. 3. The Gulf Coast hurricane disaster and its consequences have added pressure to stop the reconciliation process for this year, because the programs to be cut are an important part of the disaster relief services that are needed, she said. In their letter the bishops noted the cuts to mandatory spending called for in the reconciliation package "would decrease valuable assistance to millions of low-income families, children, elderly and people with disabilities." "Even as the number of people living in poverty and without insurance has increased dramatically in the past five years, the last few tragic weeks in the Gulf Coast area have put a face, indeed, thousands of new faces, on poverty in the heart of our society," the letter said. Examples of programs to be cut in the reconciliation process cited by the bishops included Food Stamps, Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). The programs "help to keep struggling families together and assist low-income working families in moving to higher economic ground. This is not the time to cut such important programs while using the cuts to pay for tax breaks for those who don't need them," the bishops told members of Congress. The "biblical record" is clear, the bishops said. "The scriptural witness on which our faith tradition stands speaks dramatically of God's concern for and solidarity with poor and oppressed communities while speaking firmly in opposition to governments whose policies place narrow economic interests driven by greed above the common good." Jesus "speaks and acts unequivocally on behalf of those on the margins of society," and St. Paul wrote forcefully about the importance of community and expands the definition of those we call brothers and sisters in Christ, the bishops said. Noting that Americans have opened their homes to help people from the Gulf Coast states and that non-profit and religious organizations are providing relief services, the bishops strongly urged each member of Congress "to reflect on your role as a government official in providing for the least in our society and (we) ask that you oppose any attempt to move forward with the budget reconciliation process."--- A copy of the ELCA synods bishops' letter to Congress is at http://www.ELCA.org/advocacy on the ELCA Web site.For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.orghttp://www.elca.org/news