Oct 16, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Catholic Charities USA is strongly urging members of Congress not to cut crucial social service and anti-poverty programs in order to finance hurricane recovery.
Recent budget proposals have Congress considering even deeper cuts to the fiscal 2006 budget, especially to programs that serve the nation's poor and most vulnerable.
"We agree that it is of the utmost importance that Congress continue to focus relief on the hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their homes, livelihoods, and communities," Catholic Charities president Fr. Larry Snyder wrote in a letter to members of Congress. But he added that it shouldn’t be at the expense of the poor and most vulnerable, he said.
Catholic Charities agencies throughout the United States are addressing the needs for housing, food and childcare for the country’s poor, as well as providing assistance to hurricane survivors and evacuees.