Faithful Budget

Tax Reform Fact Sheet

This tax plan stunningly leaves behind all those who have low or moderate incomes.
Our partners at the Friends Committee on National Legislation have prepared a summary of this devastating piece of legislation.
Read it here.

Faithful Budget Proposal

In the current political and economic climate, neither party is giving sufficient voice to the needs of the families who have been pushed to the margins. We view the budget as a moral document, outlining the values and priorities of this country. Low-income housing assistance, nutrition assistance, education, job training, reentry services, refugee resettlement, foreign assistance, and environmental protection should not be cut in order to boost Pentagon spending and further militarize our border and our immigration enforcement. The federal budget should foster hope, opportunity, and a place at the table for all, especially those experiencing hardship and oppression.

Preamble - Message to political leaders and a listing of those organizations that signed the document
Selected Document Sections - How to Pay for the Budget, Domestic Human Needs, Foreign Aid, Immigration, Creation, Native Americans, Health Care, Justice
Entire Document
Talking Points:
Statement by Larry Couch
The first consideration that a legislator should give to proposed legislation is: What effects will this legislation have on people living in poverty?  If we are to pursue the common good, the needs of poor people must be front and center. We cannot let human needs be given second place to providing yet another tax break to people whose income is in the upper one percent. 

Currently family incomes in this country are insufficient to meet the basic needs of 40 percent of our children.  Sadly, this economic insecurity can result in lifelong damage, stunting mental, physical, and emotional development. 

In addition, living in crowded conditions coupled with food insecurity can lead to an increase in depression, domestic violence, and drug abuse.  Recent studies had shown that many opioid overdoses are “deaths of despair,” deaths brought on by joblessness and hopelessness.

The gap between rich and poor continues to grow. This disparity between the accumulation of extreme wealth and the inescapability of extreme poverty threatens the dignity of human beings and is destructive to our society.  By following the principles outlined in a Faithful Budget, we can do better.
Our message to our national leaders is this:

Act with mercy and justice by
serving the common good;
robustly funding support for poor and vulnerable people as well as peace-building, both at home and abroad; and
exercising proper care and keeping of the earth.
A Faith Reflection on the Budget authored by the Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs of which NAC is a member.

Read complete Reflection here.
Interfaith Toolkit for a Faithful Budget
Congress is preparing for critical budget decisions this fall; budget decisions that have to pass both the House and the Senate. Members of Congress need to hear from concerned constituents this August when Members are home in their districts and again this fall in order to stand strong against cuts to crucial programs.

This toolkit, developed by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, will tell you the why and the how. (To learn more about our 2017 Faithful Budget, visit our Faithful Budget Page.)