Leaders Seek ‘Circle of Protection’ Around Poor

Nearly 100 national Christian leaders, including Rev. Joel Boot, executive director of the Christian Reformed Church, today released a pastoral letter to President Obama and the leaders of the U.S. Congress, calling for an end to the political posturing as the date for the March 1 sequester of government funds closes in.

Rev. Thomas De Vries, general secretary of the Reformed Church in America, has also signed the letter asking for government leaders to address the sequester.

As part of budget negotiations that took place more than a year ago, both parties in Congress agreed to a dramatic “sequester,” forcing an $85 billion across-the-board series of budget cuts to occur on March 1, 2013 to all areas of government. This includes to programs serving the poor.

At that time, they assumed both sides would come together on an overall budget agreement before the time for mandatory cuts ever came.

With no resolution in sight and the prospect looming of deep cuts to those in need, a group called the Circle of Protection asked faith leaders to sign the letter that provides a biblical basis for why it is important for government officials to care financially for the most vulnerable in their midst.

The CRC has long been on the side of protecting the poor and the vulnerable in society and advocating on their behalf, which is a reason for the support the CRC has shown in signing the letter.

The letter does not deny that the U.S. faces serious budgeting challenges, but makes it clear that there are those who should be protected from bearing the cuts.

Among other things, says a press release, the pastoral letter calls “for elected officials to create a proactive, long-term strategy for addressing poverty and hunger that reduces the deficit, grows the economy, and expands economic opportunity for all God’s children.”

In the pastoral letter, the faith leaders say they are grateful “that programs focused on hungry and poor people have not seen large cuts so far.”

The letter also says the faith leaders appreciate the fact that lawmakers have seen fit, as budget negotiations have taken place over the last two years, to “maintain a Circle of Protection around effective programs focused on hungry and poor people in our country and around the world.”

The letter makes specific recommendations on which programs must be maintained and suggests ways in which this can happen.

Faith leaders also say they applaud what appear to be efforts by government leaders to resolve the sequester issue.

"I’m excited that the president and several key Republicans have recently made proposals that would open opportunity to hungry and poor people,” says Rev. David Beckmann,  president of the hunger relief organization Bread for the World in the press release.

“Congress should quickly agree on ways to further reduce the national deficit that won’t make life tougher for people who struggle to feed their children. It’s time for our nation to turn our attention to making a place at the table for everybody." 

Assuring government’s obligation to advance the common good, ensure fairness, and defend the most vulnerable is good religion and good politics, says the pastoral letter.