A COVID relief bill

 Last August, Pope Francis said that the current pandemic “has highlighted how vulnerable and interconnected everyone is. If we do not take care of one another, starting with the least, with those who are most impacted, including creation, we cannot heal the world.” 

With that in mind, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued some guidance on what a COVID relief bill should contain. In doing so, they noted that the USCCB “has consistently advocated for Congress to address peoples’ need for food, housing, health care, employment and income support, and safety in prisons and detention facilities.” They said that relief legislation passed by Congress last year has been a lifeline for families and individuals struggling to make ends meet. Still, they say, more is needed to reach all sectors of society and ensure that help lasts for the duration of the economic crisis.

In the area of hunger and nutrition, the bishops praise increases to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which they say is a proven way to combat this food insecurity, delivering resources directly to low-income households. They also call for continued investments in vital nutrition programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) which will also help respond to food insecurity that has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

 

To help the millions more at risk of losing their homes due to the resulting economic crisis, the bishops are requesting robust investments in Emergency Solutions Grants, emergency rental assistance, housing counseling services, and mortgage payment assistance as well as greater eviction and foreclosure preventions will help address the health and housing needs of America’s lowest-income renters and people experiencing homelessness.

 

Because millions of people have lost their health insurance coverage during the pandemic, individuals have a need for affordable healthcare coverage. Necessary efforts to provide such coverage should ensure no federal funding goes to health care plans that cover abortion, the bishops said. Expanding Medicaid resources for states and tribes is an important tool to respond to public health needs while avoiding cuts to healthcare or other vital services. We also need to address racial inequities in healthcare, which existed in many forms before the COVID-19 crisis and “have manifested in disturbingly disproportionate rates of coronavirus infection and death in patients of color.” Additional resources to methods of care for low-income and historically marginalized communities are examples of the type of investments needed. The bishops note that, as is even more clear in a pandemic, the exclusion of some from health care threatens the health of all.

 

To learn more, and to see what other issues should be addressed in any COVID relief bill, go here.

Catholic Charities USA responds to President's budget proposal

Earlier this week, President Obama unveiled the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2016. Catholic Charities USA reports that this blueprint document outlines priorities and areas for investment, but does not have the force of law and will not change current spending levels.

However, it is first step in the budget process, initiating the federal budget negotiations for this year.

Catholic Charities USA has prepared an analysis of the President's proposed budget in comparison to previous years, which is available here. The response read, in part:

"While Catholic Charities agencies, and many other faith-based non-profits, will continue to work with families and individuals on the brink, we know that in order for our nation to truly make a significant change in the numbers of those in poverty, we need support and commitment from the for-profit sector and from government. We cannot do this alone.”

Click here to read the full press release.

Support SNAP Funding

Catholic Charities USA has sent out the following Action Alert:

Tell Congress to Support SNAP Funding, Protect the Poor and Hungry in Budget Discussions 

Members of Congress seeking to reauthorize the farm bill are seeking a middle ground the competing versions of legislation. But cuts to a vital anti-hunger program could leave millions of Americans at risk of losing access to healthy and affordable food.  

Both the House and Senate bills include reductions to SNAP, and both would have an impact on those receiving aid from this crucial program. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the Senate's version of the bill would cause an estimated 500,000 households see their benefits cut by an average $90 per month. It also found that the House bill would cause nearly 3 million households to lose eligibility for SNAP, and another 850,000 households see their benefits fall significantly.  

While the Senate continues to underscore cuts will be a reality, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) and its network of member agencies urge Members of Congress that when considering cuts that benefits to vulnerable people be spared. CCUSA believes that savings can be realized without cutting life sustaining benefits to people who will be most affected.
Throughout our nation’s history, policymakers have always come together to fund this critical program and support the individuals and families that rely on SNAP to put food on their tables. We encourage you to tell Congress to preserve SNAP funding for those in need!

You can take action here. Scroll down about half way to find the form for contacting your Congressional representatives.