Unless you’ve been out of the country or abstaining from the news, you’re aware that Congress is currently debating the budget reconciliation bill (known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”). As of this writing, it has passed the House but is still being debated in the Senate. As the name indicates, there are hundreds of issues addressed, and many (if not most) of the issues have a direct impact on the lives of our neighbors, especially the poor and vulnerable.In late May, the USCCB SENT A LETTERÂ to all members of congress (all Representatives and Senators) encouraging them to “make the changes necessary in this package so it truly supports the flourishing of families, without harming the poorest and most vulnerable, according to the following principles: Protect Human life and dignity, Care for the poor, Family formation and strengthening, Adequate revenue for the sake of the common good and avoiding future cuts to poverty programs, Progressivity of the tax code, Incentivize charitable giving and development, Support parental choice in education, Inclusion of immigrant and mixed-status families, and Energy and environment. The letter – and several pages of Appendices – touch on many, many changes they would like to see made. If you have the time, please review the entire letter to gain guidance on how you can reach out to your elected officials and encourage them to push for changes that respect the lives of all people. Here are a few highlights:
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Protect Medicaid (the government health insurance program for low-income and disabled people) and SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), rejecting any and all cuts, especially as these cuts are being made to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.
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Further strengthen the Child Tax Credit, especially for the lowest income children.
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Make the tax code work for those most in need rather than (as it currently does)Â raising taxes on the working poor while simultaneously providing tax breaks to the highest-income taxpayers.
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Utilize money to strengthen our long-broken immigration system rather than raising to unprecedented levels the mandatory funding that would escalate enforcement far beyond the legitimate goals of promoting public safety and bringing to justice those who commit crimes.
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Remove fees that further endanger people’s rights to seek safety from dangerous and unhealthy situations (i.e. support asylum).
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Remove significant barriers to accessing clean energy, especially for rural and urban poor and middle-income families, and empower clean energy companies to operate and create good jobs.
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Strengthen and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income workers without children to ensure they are not taxed further into poverty.
As we previously suggested, please review the letter from the U.S bishops and CALL YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS (or you can use this EMAIL ADVOCACY TOOL from the USCCB) to implore them to advocate for changes that honor human dignity and protect those most in need.