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No caps, cuts, or eligibility changes to programs that protect human needs in the FY24 budget
Tell Congress They Should Emphasize Human Needs And Community Concerns In The FY24 Budget And Debt Ceiling Negotiations
In March President Biden put forward his budget proposal for FY 2024 (WH Fact Sheet). Congress ramped up its own proposal developments in reply, and the House began looking to merge the budget negotiation with the debt ceiling negotiations. Now we see that human needs and community concerns have landed on the chopping block.
The House has put forward the ‘‘Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (H.R. 2811)” with dramatic cuts, caps, and eligibility changes for human needs: anti-hunger, health, housing, early childhood, and other needs. Passing with 217 yea votes and 215 nay votes (Clerk’s Roll Call 199). This represents a serious threat to funding for vital programs that have helped communities sustain, persist and even thrive despite the pandemic and inflation volatility of the economy. The proposal cuts affordable housing, nutrition programs, health care, and education.
Take action to tell both chambers that we view budgets as moral documents, and urge them to reject proposals for caps, cuts, and eligibility changes.
UU Grounding
UUSJ grounds this action firmly in our 1st Principle “Respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person” and our 2nd Principle “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations” noting that the UUA has suggested this principle “drives us to work for healthier and more equitable economic systems. We strive to build communities where everyone is supported in living healthy, safe, and sustainable lives.” As well as our 5th Principle "The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large." UUSJ also sees a connection to our 7th Principle “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part,” as well as the 8th Principle, which UUSJ has voluntarily adopted, and which encourages “journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”
The Unitarian Universalist Association has a consistent history of statements and resolutions encouraging congregations, churches, and fellowships to engage in social justice action related to hunger and poverty issues.
- Hunger - 1980 Social Witness Statements: General Resolution
- Ending Hunger - 1987 Social Witness Statements: General Resolution
- 2017 Escalating Economic Inequity Statement of Conscience
- 2021 The COVID-19 Pandemic: Justice. Healing. Courage. Social Witness Statements: Action of Immediate Witness
Related Analysis And Coverage:
- Congressional Budget Office’s Estimate of the Budgetary Effects of H.R. 2811, the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, Phillip L. Swagel Director
- Social Security Administration, Impact of Spending Cuts, Kilolo Kijakazi, Ph.D., M.S.W. Acting Commissioner
- U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, The Case for a Robust Attack on the Tax Gap, Natasha Sarin, Deputy Assistant Sec. for Economic Policy
- U.S. Dept. of the Treasury, Deb Limit, Letters to Congress 2011 - 2023
Reporting:
- Hill: Veterans sound alarm on McCarthy budget cuts
- Politico: House GOP passes its debt bill, upping pressure on Biden
- WSJ: Democrats Reject Starting Talks on Debt Ceiling
- CNN: Here’s what’s in the House GOP debt limit bill
- Politico: GOP’s debt-limit plan would gut Biden’s climate law. White House’s response: ‘Jobs’
- Forbes: McCarthy Unveils Bill To Increase Debt Limit Through 2024—While Biden Blasts Long-Shot Proposal As ‘Whacko’
- WaPo: GOP wants to push to extend Trump tax cuts after midterm elections (October 2022)
Shop Talk:
- CBPP: McCarthy Bill Uses Debt Ceiling to Force Harmful Policies, Deep Cuts
- Third Way: The Republican Debt Limit Plan Will Devastate Public Safety
- CBPP: Taking Medicaid Away for Not Meeting a Work-Reporting Requirement Would Keep People From Health Care
- Moody’s: The Debt Limit Drama Heats Up
- CBPP: House Debt-Ceiling-and-Cuts Bill Cuts Health Coverage, Food Assistance, Income Support, and Other National Priorities, Gives Billions to Wealthy Tax Cheats
- CAP: Speaker McCarthy’s Debt Ceiling Proposal Would Undo Benefits of Inflation Reduction Act
- EPI: Speaker McCarthy’s debt limit proposal = enormous human toll
- CBPP: Vital Government Services Would Take a $3.6 Trillion Hit in McCarthy Bill
- Roll Call: House GOP readying economic package with business tax breaks
- ATF: Renewing Trump Tax Cuts Benefits the Rich and Threatens Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and More / The Biden Tax & Investment Budget
- CBPP: President Biden’s 2024 Budget Moves Us Toward Nation Where Everyone Can Thrive
- CAP: Tax Cuts Are Primarily Responsible for the Increasing Debt Ratio
- TPC: Making The TCJA’s Individual Tax Cuts Permanent Would Add More than $3 Trillion To The Federal Debt, Mostly Benefit High-Income Households (November 2022)
Tell Congress They Should Emphasize Human Needs And Community Concerns In The FY24 Budget And Debt Ceiling Negotiations
In March President Biden put forward his budget proposal for FY 2024 (WH Fact Sheet). Congress ramped up its own proposal developments in reply, and the House began looking to merge the budget negotiation with the debt ceiling negotiations.
With the ‘‘Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 (H.R. 2811),” we see that human needs and community concerns have landed on the chopping block.
Take action to tell both chambers that we view budgets as moral documents, and urge them to reject proposals for caps, cuts, and eligibility changes.
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Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) has been the leader of a national UU advocacy movement in Washington, DC., and will continue our efforts, acting from:
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Our commitment to a people-centered sustainable economy
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This action follows that commitment to economic justice and our care for children, youth, and low-income families while highlighting the specific Unitarian Universalist grounding for that position.
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