#Current2012 Romney-Paul Ryan's Plan condemned by prominent faith leaders

Prominent Diverse Faith Leaders Condemn 
GOP Budget for Cutting Safety Net While 
Shielding Richest From Shared Sacrifice

As Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Chair of the House Budget Committee, unveils the GOP 
federal budget proposal, national faith leaders are denouncing its immoral cuts and irresponsible tax breaks for millionaires and corporate special interests.  Below are quotes 
from a range of clergy and religious leaders representing congregations, denominations, 
and national organizations.

Father Thomas Kelly, Catholic priest from Elkhorn, WI and constituent of Rep. Paul Ryan:
“As a constituent of Congressman Ryan and a Catholic priest, I’m disappointed by his 
cruel budget plan and outraged that he defends it on moral grounds. Ryan is Catholic, 
and he knows that justice for the poor and economic fairness are core elements of our 
church’s social teaching. It’s shameful that he disregarded these principles in his budget.”
Rev. Michael Livingston, director of the National Council of Churches’ Poverty Initiative:
“Rep. Ryan’s budget uses the deficit as an excuse to pursue an ideological agenda that 
punishes poor people who can’t find a job. If Rep. Ryan wants us to take his moralizing 
about the national debt seriously, he should have the courage to ask for shared sacrifice 
from his millionaire donors instead of kicking poor families while they’re down.”

Rev. Gabriel Salguero, Pastor of The Lamb’s Church in New York City and President 
of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition:
“Budgets reflect our deepest moral commitments. As a pastor, I see firsthand that many 
hardworking families are straining to find jobs, keep food on the table and provide for 
their children. Slashing effective programs and balancing the budget on their backs is 
not the way forward. Politicians ought to remember that protecting vulnerable families 
and children is at the center of the Biblical command to care for the poor.”

Bishop Gene Robinson, Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire 
and a visiting Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Washington, D.C.:
Make no mistake: A budget is a moral document. It says something about the character of those who would propose to enact it.  The proposed Ryan budget takes a huge 
step toward immorality.  Sacred texts for Christians, Jews and Muslims all depict a 
God who judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in our society.  By this 
measure, the Ryan budget robs the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable of the 
safety net so integral to their survival.  By any measure of civility and regard for one’s 
neighbor, it is an immoral disaster.

Bryan Massingale, Associate Professor of Theological Ethics at Marquette University 
in Wisconsin:
“Budgets should reflect our nation’s best values and honor the sacred obligation to protect the most vulnerable. Rep. Ryan’s proposals fail that moral test and are contrary to 
our shared Catholic faith’s commitment to the common good.”

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership 
Conference, Hispanic Evangelical Association:
“Congressional budgets reflect the priorities and values of our nation. For that matter, while we stand committed to deficit reduction and fiscal responsibility, we cannot 
sacrifice the most impoverished on the altar of expediency. Those that advocate for faith 
and family must marry rhetoric with action. The poor and the hurting cannot emerge as 
budget war collateral damage. “ 

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director, NETWORK, A National Catholic Social 
Justice Lobby:
“The federal budget is, and always has been, an indication of the priorities of our 
nation. The Ryan budget, if enacted, would say that we are a nation that favors the 
super-wealthy by lowering their tax rates while we harm those most in need through 
deeper spending cuts in safety net programs. We are a caring, compassionate people. 
To deliberately target struggling families while enriching the wealthiest is both 
immoral and not reflective of our nation’s values.”

Lisa Sharon Harper, Director of Mobilizing, Sojourners: 
It is simply unconscionable to balance the budget on the backs of struggling Americans 
while protecting tax breaks for millionaires. Corporate interests and the 1% have their 
lobbyists. But, who will protect the interests of the poor? Last year Representative Ryan’s 
budget proposal would have wreaked havoc on the lives and livelihoods of America’s most 
vulnerable people. Fiscal responsibility doesn’t need to mean economic cruelty. Churches 
and faith-based non-profits are already fighting an uphill battle to meet the needs of 
their communities. They don’t need politicians making their work even harder because 
Congress is dead set on politicizing a simple duty of common sense governance

Sister Anne Curtis of the Institute Leadership Team of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: 
“These budget proposals are not in line with Catholic social justice principles and core 
values held by diverse faith traditions that clearly mandate a preferential option for 
the poor and most vulnerable. In good conscience, people of faith can’t be silent given 
the plight of so many now struggling to make ends meet, educate their children and 
obtain quality health care.”

Rabbi Steve Gutow, President of The Jewish Council for Public Affairs:
The federal budget should be seen as a moral document, a proud statement of our 
national priorities and values. As a nation we simply cannot ignore the reality of far too 
many families and individuals struggling to overcome hunger and poverty.  The proposal by the House Budget Committee would cut spending for SNAP and other critical 
human needs programs. We should not balance the federal budget on the backs of the 
most vulnerable; instead, we should be offering

Rabbi Jack Moline, Director of Public Policy, Rabbinical Assembly:
The poor are not statistics.  Whatever one thinks of Congressman Ryan’s ideas, it is 
unimaginable to look into the face of a child who would go hungry without government 
assistance and say, “Sorry -- we need to reduce the deficit.”  The real problem of budget 
reduction needs to be funded by those who can afford it precisely because they love this 
country and what it stands for.

The Rev. Chuck Currie, minister, United Church of Christ, Portland, Ore.:
The Ryan budget leaves the least of these behind while aiding millionaires and if 
adopted would force faith communities that partner with government agencies to close 
programs that assist children, the elderly and unemployed workers living with their 
families in shelters.  Rep. Ryan’s budget would increase poverty and suffering.  That 
is why I join so many religious across the nation in calling on Congress to reject this 
immoral blueprint for America’s future. 

Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples 
of Christ), Indianapolis, Indiana:
When Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” he didn’t just mean exchanging cups 
of sugar with the family next door. In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus showed 
that being a neighbor means reaching out to anyone, anywhere, in their need. A federal 
budget that slices away at funds for hungry children and their families, that abandons 
senior citizens, that reduces life-sustaining foreign aid, is a budget that goes against the 
teachings of Jesus. America can do better! The Good Samaritan saw a need, reached out 
to meet the need, and then enlisted the aid of others to help. Through a compassionate 
federal budget, we can do the same – and be a stronger nation for it

Ron Sider, President, Evangelicals for Social Action:
“We must stop endless budget deficits but it would be immoral to balance the budget 
on the backs of the poor. But it is also immoral for Grandpa to keep using his grandchildren’s credit card. In my new book, Fixing the Moral Deficit: A Balanced Way to 
Balance the Budget, I show we can solve the budget crisis in a way that is just for the 
poor and our grandchildren. Paul Ryan’s budget is not the way to do that
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