Policy & Advocacy
Talking Points on Circle of Protection Domestic Poverty, February 2013
Talking points on Circle of Protection around a domestic antipoverty programs, February 2013
The bishops view the federal budget as an expression of national values and an obligation to ensure access to essentials—food, housing, health care, work, education, and family life—for every person. They apply three moral criteria to budget decisions:
- Does it protect human life and dignity?
- How does it affect “the least of these”—those who are hungry, homeless, unemployed, or poor?
- Does it promote the common good, especially for ordinary workers and families in economic distress?
An ecumenical coalition of over 65 Christian leaders and agencies, the Circle of Protection champions anti-poverty programs because vulnerable people lack powerful lobbies but have profound moral claims. Its advocacy has successfully shielded mandatory anti-poverty programs—SNAP, child nutrition, tax credits for low-income workers, Medicaid, CHIP, and Social Security—from budget-driven cuts.
Revenue, Deficit Reduction, and Shared Sacrifice:
- Restoring full employment and decent wages is essential to increasing revenues and reducing deficits.
- The bishops call for redirecting subsidies that disproportionately benefit affluent interests—such as large agricultural grants—toward small farmers and hungry populations.
- They urge a balanced approach: shared sacrifice, elimination of unnecessary spending, fair long-term reforms to health and retirement programs, and adequate revenue‐raising measures.
Protecting Key Anti-Poverty Programs - Congress faces multiple deficit-reduction deadlines that threaten vital services. The bishops highlight programs that demonstrably reduce poverty:
- Federal housing assistance cuts the poverty rate by 1%, yet serves only 25% of eligible families.
- SNAP reduces poverty by 1.5%, and the National School Lunch Program reduces child poverty by 1%.
- WIC and emergency food assistance protect millions from hunger.
- Workforce development programs and low-income tax credits lifted 4.4 million children out of poverty in 2011.
- Over 48 million Americans lack health coverage; reforms to Medicare and Medicaid must avoid harming vulnerable seniors and low-income beneficiaries.
The bishops urge policymakers to:
- Prioritize programs that serve the poorest rather than cutting them in fiscal negotiations.
- Maintain and strengthen antipoverty investments in housing, nutrition, workforce training, tax credits, and health care.
- Adopt a budget process guided by moral principles that reflect solidarity with society’s most vulnerable.