For Immediate Release: February 5, 2020
Contact: Lee Morrow, [email protected], 202-601-7871
Sister Simone Campbell Testifies Alongside Rep. Ocasio-Cortez on Child Poverty
Sr. Simone: “Children living in poverty are the most vulnerable and the least equipped to advocate for their own well being.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice testified alongside Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and other advocates on the dangerous changes that President Trump has proposed to the poverty line calculation.
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform heard powerful testimony that the proposed changes will hurt families and exacerbate child poverty.
Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice said:
“Pope Francis said that the measure of society can be found in the way it treats those most in need. Children living in poverty are the most vulnerable and the least equipped to advocate for their own well being. The OMB’s proposal to change the poverty measure ignores the needs of these children, especially in rural communities. Chained-CPI will undercount poverty, remove life-saving benefits, and take food off the tables of our neighbors. This is not the faithful way forward.
“My prayer is this: May our wealthy nation recover its moral and constitutional compass and invest in our children and their families. This will be a step toward realizing our Constitutional commitment for We the People to promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.”
A recording of the testimony can be streamed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK3dRzBB6Bo
Sr. Simone’s testimony was accompanied by a sign-on letter signed by these 24 faith-based advocacy organizations:
Alliance of Baptists
Center for Calling & Christian Leadership
Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice
Church World Service
Congregation of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
Disciples Center for Public Witness
Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries
Faith in Public Life
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Franciscan Action Network
ICNA Council for Social Justice
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, Dallas, TX
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
Pax Christi USA
Poligon Education Fund
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), Office of Public Witness
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Mercy Justice Team
Union for Reform Judaism
United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
Women of Reform Judaism
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NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice – advocates for justice inspired by Catholic Sisters – educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation. They have a nearly 50-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good. www.networklobby.org