Our nation has always been conscious of its obligations to the hungry and needy. Yet sometimes our response to these obligations has suffered because of priority given to demands in other areas.

The great record of social legislation in our nation is in danger of suffering a tragic setback on July 1 of this year. The Congress and the House Committee on Ways and Means have scheduled a “freeze” on funds for families with dependent children. This action will bring great hardship for many children in economically and culturally deprived families. They are the ones who will suffer from the punitive “freeze” on federal funds for payment of welfare benefits to children of absent parents—absent because a parent has deserted, or is in prison, or in some other institution.

The latest national figures show that there are 4,465,000 children, and 1,483,000 mothers receiving aid to families with dependent children. In Georgia, 114,000 children and 35,900 mothers are affected. In Atlanta 20,000 children and 6,000 mothers are affected.

All children receiving aid under the AFDC program are affected because, while the number of recipients has increased, the federal funds are frozen at the first quarter 1968 level. Georgia has 12,700 children—5,000 of whom are in Atlanta—for whom there will be no federal legislation introducing stricter requirements concerning the absence of the father.

We must do more, not less, to help the deprived children of this nation. Our senators and congressmen should be informed that this “freeze” legislation does not represent the will of the American people, but that the will of people is clearly to nourish and develop its greatest resource –our children.

We ask the United States Congress and Senate to repeal or, at least, postpone the “AFDC freeze”. If this is not achieved, our state representatives and senators should be prepared to increase the budget for the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services.

Thomas A. Donnellan

Archbishop of Atlanta