Cardinal joins religious leaders urging Congress to back food stamps

Published: 2005-09-21

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington joined dozens of religious leaders in asking Congress to protect the federal food stamp program from budget cuts. "Budget constraints do not release us from our obligation to care for poor and vulnerable people," said a Sept. 21 letter from 40 religious leaders sent to each member of Congress, which is trying to find $3 billion to cut from the current federal agriculture budget. "It would be a moral failure to take those cuts from the food stamp program," the letter added. "Care for hungry people is a mandate for every major religious tradition. As leaders from many of these traditions, we appeal to you to protect the food stamp program from cuts in the current budget process," it said. The quest to cut the current budget of the federal Department of Agriculture came before Hurricane Katrina's devastation of much of the Gulf Coast and relief efforts that will cost billions of dollars in federal money. It is possible that additional cuts will be sought. Budget cuts are expected to be presented to House and Senate committees that deal with agriculture in mid-October, with the full chambers voting on cuts in late October.

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .