Bishops' president says poor people should come first in U.S. budget

Published: 2006-03-08

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Congress should "give priority attention to the needs of poor and vulnerable people" in shaping the next U.S. budget, said Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He sharply challenged ongoing tax cuts that he said rob the federal government of the revenues needed to meet "our moral obligations to respond to human needs." "Budget decisions reflect not only economic policies, but moral choices as well," Bishop Skylstad wrote in a March 3 letter to U.S. senators and representatives. The USCCB released the letter March 6. "Providing an adequate safety net for poor and vulnerable families and promoting human development in poor countries are both fundamental moral obligations of a responsible society," he wrote. He added that homeland security and national defense "can only be enhanced by wise investments to protect human life and dignity at home and abroad."

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