The Ash Wednesday Call for a Compassionate Budget Faith

 

Leaders, Members of Congress Hold Ash Wednesday Prayer Service Calling on Congress to Choose Families Over Billionaires

 

Representatives of different religious traditions offered prayers as Members of Congress joined with them for a service, “Ash Wednesday: A Call to Action for a Compassionate Budget,” on March 5 on Capitol Hill. After a ceremonial distribution of ashes to mark the holy day, those gathered lamented the the harms the GOP plans on Budget Reconciliation pose to health, food, taxes, immigration/militarization, and democracy.

The Democratic Faith Working Group led by Rep. Jim Clyburn (SC-06) and members of the Washington Interfaith Staff Community came together in  the wake of President Trump’s address to Congress and decried how the proposed budget would gut health care and food programs for families to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and the mass deportation of beloved immigrant communities.

Joan F. Neal, Interim Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice addressed the tax injustice at the heart of the Budget Reconciliation:

“Right now, the House Budget Resolution calls for giving at least 4.5 trillion dollars in additional tax cuts to billionaires, which they intended to pay for by taking food from families, and healthcare for millions — this at a time when so many people in this country don’t know where their next meal is coming from or are one medical bill away from financial ruin. That is immoral. The faithful ask Congress today: Whose side are you on?”

The service marked the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent and offered prayers for strength and guidance while lamenting the passage of a budget resolution that would significantly harm millions of hardworking people and families to pay for tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, if it becomes law. The faith leaders, including NETWORK Chief of Staff Sr. Erin Zubal, OSU distributed ashes to the people gathered.

Rev. Camille Henderson, the Senior Executive Director for Advocacy of the General Board of Church and Society offered the opening gathering prayer. United Methodist Bishop Julius C. Trimble, General Secretary of the General Board of Church and Society was among the Christian faith leaders who spoke — along with Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, President and National Secretary, National Council of Churches; Rev. Terri Hord Owens, General Minister and President of the Disciples of Christ; Bridget Moix, General Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation; Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould, Political Director at Faith in Action; and Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ.

Rep. Clyburn opened the service with his close reading of Matthew 25. He noted that most people jump to the “whatever you did for the least among you, you did for me” portion of the Scripture. But his focus, he said, is on Jesus speaking of how people are to use their talents–things of great value–out in the world. This question, he said, could be reflected in the priorities reflected in the Federal Budget.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05) echoed this sentiment:

“Show me your checkbook and I will tell you what your values are,” said Rep. Cleaver. “The checkbook of the United States declares who we are. … To talk about cutting Medicaid is a sin and an insult to the God who lets us walk around and breathe.”

Cleaver shared what he wanted to call out during Trump’s address to Congress:

“Elon Musk, how much did you get? The poor got nothing! Speaker Johnson, how much did you get? The poor got nothing! Donald Trump, how much did you get? The poor got nothing!”

Rep. Shontel Brown (OH-11) connected the values of her faith to concrete human needs.

“This is not a call of faith but a call to action. Our faith isn’t about what we believe, it is about how we serve,” she said. “Seniors are choosing between groceries and medication. Parents are working multiple jobs but can’t make ends meet. … We are called to walk with one another.”

Rep. Brown added: “In my district, one in five families, thirty-two percent of seniors, and fifty-one percent of people with disabilities rely on SNAP. These numbers represent people, our neighbors, our friends, and our fellow congregants. This is not about politics, this is about people getting the help they need.”

Rep. Chuy Garcia (IL-04) lamented that cuts to vital programs will go to tax cuts for billionaires, as well as mass deportation efforts by the Administration.

“My ask is that Republicans give up billionaires for Lent and to reflect deeply on the needs of ordinary people across the country, especially the condition of 11 million undocumented migrants needing a pathway to citizenship,” he said.

“I pray that we will also reflect on the violent rhetoric that has been used by President Trump and other Members of Congress, which is rooted in lies and distortions,” he added.

“Immigrants give so much to this country. Let’s not forget that they pay taxes — over $580 billion a year in federal, state, and local taxes. They are our neighbors, small business people, they are the other children who attend school with our own. They are human beings. ”

Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) spoke of a different kind of reconciliation than the budget process:

“Ash Wednesday is a holy day that marks the beginning of repentance and reconciliation,” she said. “But what I cannot reconcile is a budget that harms hardworking Americans.”

She questioned how her Republican colleagues could justify to their constituents back home the cuts they are proposing.

“Thousands of their constituents, just like ours, rely on Medicaid for health care,” she noted. In her own district, she added, over 300,000 people risk losing their health care under the GOP budget.

Rep. Tim Kennedy (NY-26) said a budget that fails in this way is essentially a betrayal of the founding principles of the United States.

“We have the opportunity right now to actually uplift hardworking families, help our seniors, protect our children,” he said. “Though we humans are not perfect, our forefathers built a democracy that helped lift so many out of poverty, illiteracy, and oppression.”

He added, “Tyrants have no place in our society. We fought to protect our democracy, a system that gives each person a voice in our nation, a voice that time and time again we as Americans have chosen to use for the common good.”

Of the numerous faith leaders from across traditions who spoke at the event, Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould of Faith in Action asserted that the moral and policy perils presented by the Budget Reconciliation require action.

“This season of Lent was the season when Jesus went into the temple and flipped the tables over,” she said. “Our job is not to sit by silently.”