For Immediate Release: October 2, 2023 

WASHINGTON—As Congress adopts the short-term Continuing Resolution keeping the federal government open for 45 days, NETWORK Executive Director Mary J. Novak said: 

“When Members of Congress work together for the common good, especially to protect those who are most vulnerable in society, the path forward is clear and achievable. When the opposite is true, as demonstrated by a small group of radical House members seeking to take food from babies, heat from elders, and detain immigrant children and their families, the wheels of progress grind to a halt. We applaud President Biden, Senate bipartisan leadership, and the House Democrats for fighting for a better future for our country by rejecting the politics of deceit and false scarcity. We also thank Speaker McCarthy and members of the House Republican caucus who voted for the short-term Continuing Resolution.   

“We know this fight is not over. Each of the House spending bills violates a promise to fund the government at levels agreed to in the bipartisan, bicameral debt ceiling agreement. This is unacceptable. We should not be at a funding impasse that threatens jobs, food, health, and housing security, nor one that seeks to separate families at the southern border. This is particularly true as those same House members seek to pass billions of dollars in new tax cuts for the wealthy without paying for it.  

“NETWORK and our advocates across the country will continue to call on Members to keep their promises, be in solidarity with the most vulnerable, and promote justice for the benefit of the common good.” 

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Founded by Catholic Sisters in 1972, in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, NETWORK is an inclusive, national, Catholic advocacy organization open to all who share our values, working to achieve equity and justice for everyone. Grounded in Gospel values and the Catholic social justice tradition, NETWORK transforms our society by shaping federal policies that achieve racial, economic, and social justice; serve the common good; and honor the dignity of all.