Letter
Letter to Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee from Bishop Pates CRS on Budget, March 28, 2012
Letter from Bishop Richard E. Pates, Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace and Dr. Carolyn Y. Woo, President, Catholic Relief Services to Senate Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee on Budget, March 28, 2012
As you consider the FY 2013 Agriculture Appropriations, we urge you to protect people living in poverty and hunger by preserving funding for Title II Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole Food for Education food assistance programs.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) bring three assets to this issue. First, the rich body of Catholic Social Teaching gives priority to our poorest brothers and sisters in allocating scarce resources. Second, our two institutions have deep and abiding relationships and partnerships with the Church in developing countries. The Church is a trusted institutional presence that enjoys extensive reach, including in remote communities. Third, for 68 years CRS has successfully implemented humanitarian and development programs in one hundred countries across the world, often in partnership with the U.S. government. This experience provides valuable insight into the implementation of food assistance programs.
The USCCB and CRS have identified Title II and McGovern-Dole as two programs that are critical to serving the poorest populations of the world. Through these programs, people impacted by drought or other natural disasters are fed, small farmers are given the tools they need to improve agricultural output, and the most vulnerable, including pregnant women and nursing children, are provided essential nutrition. In short, these programs save and improve the lives of millions of people.