Pennsylvanians Ask PA Congressional Delegation to Reject Inhumane Cuts to Vital Federal Budget Programs

NOTE: The Pennsylvania Council of Churches signed this letter.

Posted at http://www.thirdandstate.org/2017/june/pennsylvanians-ask-pa-congressional-delegation-reject-inhumane-cuts-vital-federal-budget-p

Jun 19, 2017 04:24 pm | John Neurohr

Nearly 70 Pennsylvania organizations signed on to the letter below asking members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation to reject inhumane cuts to vital federal government programs:

To The Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation: 

President Trump’s budget features deep cuts in assistance that helps struggling families afford the basics – food on the table, a roof over their heads, and access to health care – as well as stunning cuts in a range of basic public services and investments in our nation, such as job training, K-12 education, access to college, scientific research, and economic development. At the same time, the President has called for massive tax cuts that will overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest households and corporations.

There are troubling signs that some in Congress want to follow the President’s lead and put forward a budget plan that also calls for cuts in food assistance, health care, and other supports for struggling families; cuts in investments in public services and our productivity and economy; and tax cuts that will benefit high income Americans and create a big hole in the nation’s finances. Such a budget plan would harm Pennsylvania’s families, exacerbate our state budget deficit, and undermine our ideals.

We the undersigned Pennsylvania organizations ask you to reject these upside-down budget priorities, and put the needs of all Pennsylvania families at the top of the agenda. We call upon Pennsylvania’s representatives and senators to:

• Oppose any budget that requires any cuts in key assistance to struggling families. This includes rejecting any budget that would authorize a fast-track, reconciliation process to force cuts in programs such as Medicaid, SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), Supplemental Security Income for those with disabilities and seniors, and TANF.
• Oppose any budget that paves the way for tax cuts that will lose revenue, including tax cuts that will largely benefit the wealthy and corporations. This includes opposing any budget that would authorize a fast-track process for revenue losing tax cuts offset by reductions in essential services. Cutting food assistance or health care to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy is not only irresponsible but unjust.
• Oppose any budget that cuts investments in non-defense discretionary programs and work toward a responsible budget deal that will reduce or eliminate the harmful sequestration cuts that otherwise will take full effect in 2018. Non-defense discretionary programs support key services in Pennsylvania – from education to job training to economic development to important research conducted in our universities—that make a huge contribution to shared prosperity in our state. Congress must, as it has done in the past, come together on a bipartisan basis to ameliorate the harmful sequestration cuts before they go into effect in 2018.

Pennsylvania communities thrive when all families can put food on their table; when workers, parents, children, seniors, and people with disabilities get the health care they need; when schools are not shortchanged; when workers can get the training they need to succeed in today’s economy; and when we invest in all of our neighborhoods. We urge our Members of Congress to craft a budget that upholds the Pennsylvania idea of a commonwealth, in which we all do better by working together to address our common goals.

Sincerely,

• 500 Women Scientists
• Act Against Hunger
• Ardmore Housing for the Elderly
• Bright Hope Community
• Bucks County Marching Forward
• Bucks County Women’s Advocacy Coalition
• Calvary Baptist Church of Norristown
• Catholic Social Services
• Center for Coalfield Justice
• Center for Hunger-Free Communities
• Central Pennsylvania Action Agenda
• Concerned Constituent Action Group
• Consumer Health Coalition
• Daily Bread Community Food Pantry
• Delaware Valley Democratic Club
• Education Voters of Pennsylvania
• Family Services of Montgomery County
• Food for Families
• The Food Trust
• For Pennsylvania’s Future Action Fund
• Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger
• Haws Avenue Food Pantry
• Haws Avenue Soup Kitchen
• Indivisible Berks
• Indivisible Bucks County
• Indivisible Center City-DA
• Indivisible Mid Montco
• Just Harvest
• Keystone Opportunity Center
• Keystone Progress
• Keystone Research Center
• Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania
• Manna on Main Street
• Meals of Hope Ministry
• Mental Health Association of Northwestern Pennsylvania
• Montgomery County Community Action Development Commission
• Mt. Lebanon Rise Up
• The Open Link
• PAR (Pennsylvania Advocacy and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disability)
• PathWays PA
• The PEAK Center
• Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals
• Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
• Pennsylvania Council of Churches
• Pennsylvania Head Start Association
• Pennsylvania State Education Association
• Pennsylvania Together
• Philabundance
• Philadelphia Neighborhood Networks
• Philadelphia Unemployment Project
• Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers
• Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities
• PRO-ACT Public Policy Committee
• Project HOME
• Resources for Human Development
• The Salvation Army Norristown Corp.
• SEIU Local 668
• The Share Food Program, Inc.
• Shepherd’s Shelf Emergency Food Cupboard
• The Social Justice Group, Springfield Township & Chestnut Hill
• TriCounty Active Adult Center
• Tuesdays with Toomey
• Unitarian Universalist Pennsylvania Legislative Advocacy Network (UUPLAN)
• Westmoreland County Food Bank, Inc.
• Willow Grove Food Pantry
• Women’s March Pennsylvania