[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 135 (Friday, August 11, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12360-S12361]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES CALL ON CONGRESS TO 
        REMEMBER THE POOR IN MAKING DECISIONS ON WELFARE REFORM

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, as the Senate prepares to begin its 
August recess, it is clear that much business awaits our return. One of 
the first issues we will return to will be reform of our Nation's 
welfare system. As we reflect over the coming weeks on how our policy 
choices made here will affect our Nation's neediest, and American 
society as a whole, I would ask my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to consider the powerful statement made this week by 47 leaders 
of our Nation's major religious denominations and social service 
agencies.
  This week, in an unprecedented and moving way, 47 leaders from the 
Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Moslem communities signed a letter 
that was delivered to every Member of the Senate. The letter called on 
Congress to remember the poor as it makes decisions on welfare reform.
  Citing the verse in Proverbs 31:9, ``Speak up, judge righteously, 
champion the poor and the needy,'' the leaders called on Congress to 
reaffirm a federally guaranteed safety net for those in our Nation who 
are most vulnerable.
  The letter also focused on the drastic effects of current proposals 
on the ability of the religious social service organizations to provide 
for the poor.
  Mr. President, these religious leaders wrote that they are motivated 
not only from their faith-based ethics, but also from their years of 
experience in serving poor families in the churches, synagogues, 
mosques, temples, and service agencies across the country. I was 
particularly moved by the consensus found among America's many and 
diverse religious communities with regard to the obligation of all of 
us to care for all of our citizens, especially our children.
  I urge my colleagues to reflect on the points raised in this 
important letter from our Nation's religious leaders.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the letter and the list of 
47 signatories be printed in the Congressional Record.

       Dear Senators Dole, Daschle, Packwood and Moynihan: We 
     write on behalf of the religious organizations we represent 
     to urge you to make the well-being of women, children and 
     families your primary objective as you seek to reform the 
     nation's welfare system. As the Congress sorts through 
     fiscal, political, and ideological pressures to construct 
     real reform, the decisions you make will be a test of our 
     nation's values, of our commitment to ``the least among us,'' 
     and of our willingness to offer genuine help and opportunity 
     to our poorest families.
       We are commanded in Proverbs 31:9, ``Speak up, judge 
     righteously, champion the poor and the needy.'' We are called 
     to share God's wealth with those of God's children who cannot 
     provide for themselves. The moral test of any nation is how 
     well it fulfills this Biblical mandate.
       As leaders of many of this nation's religious faith 
     communities and religious social service organizations, we 
     are called to stand with, and seek justice for, people who 
     are poor. We share a conviction that welfare reform must not 
     focus on eliminating programs, but on eliminating poverty and 
     the damage it inflicts upon children (who comprise 2/3 of all 
     recipients of cash assistance), on their parents, and on the 
     rest of society. Genuine reform must provide the 
     disadvantaged with the tools they need to become self-
     sufficient.
       Specifically, we advocate reform that: Strengthens 
     families; Preserves a federally guaranteed safety net for the 
     vulnerable; Protects human life and human dignity; Encourages 
     and rewards work; Creates jobs, strengthens job training and 
     improves child 

[[Page S 12361]]
     care; Improves aid to all needy children, regardless of the 
     circumstances of their birth; Maintains current support for 
     legal immigrants; and Builds public/private partnerships to 
     overcome poverty.
       In particular, we urge policy makers not to abandon the 
     concept of ``entitlement:'' i.e. that there are certain 
     categories of vulnerable people who are entitled to 
     protection. The existing guaranteed support, in the form of 
     support for poor children and the disabled, school lunch 
     programs, and food stamp programs, must remain priorities for 
     our nation.
       Current proposals for block grants eliminate the structure 
     of guaranteed support and leave our country's needy at risk 
     from natural disasters and economic downturns. This system of 
     block grants would also create annual budget battles over 
     funding, which could further cripple the welfare safety net. 
     If the Senate enacts block grant proposals despite these very 
     troubling concerns, we strongly urge the inclusion of 
     ``maintenance of effort'' requirements, which will guarantee 
     that states will continue to do their part in supporting the 
     poor. With the existing requirements that states must match 
     federal funding, the states currently provide 45% of support 
     for America's poor. Without ``maintenance of effort'' 
     provisions, states could slash their funding to dangerously 
     low levels, especially financially disadvantaged states where 
     assistance is most needed.
       The needs of children of unwed mothers under 18 years of 
     age and of mothers already on welfare are just as legitimate 
     as the needs of all other children, and they must not suffer 
     as a result of their parents' circumstances or choices. 
     Therefore, we urge you to vote against family caps and child 
     exclusion provisions. Such measures have never been proven to 
     be effective, and only succeed in encouraging women to have 
     abortions or forcing children to live in extremely deprived 
     conditions.
       In addition to our faith-based ethics, these principles are 
     based on years of experience in serving poor families in our 
     churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and service agencies. 
     Many religious social service providers have a strong track 
     record in developing programs that achieve independence from 
     welfare. We seek to work with the Congress to shape policies 
     that build on these successes.
       We are gravely concerned that some current proposals rely 
     on the idea that the religious community can provide for 
     those who will ``fall through the cracks'' of the safety net, 
     cracks created by proposed reforms now before Congress. In 
     fact, over the last decade, our social service providers have 
     experienced a marked increase in the demand for our services, 
     which are now operating at full capacity. Many of these 
     services, in fact, are currently a partnership between 
     government and religious bodies, dependent upon government 
     funding. A recent study on the effect of the proposed 
     budgetary reforms by Independent Sector reveals that 
     charitable contributions would have to double over the next 
     seven years in order to compensate for the massive cuts 
     proposed by the House. Since the present system severely 
     challenges the religious community's ability to meet the 
     needs of the country's poor, we fear that the current 
     proposals would completely overwhelm our resources for 
     serving the needy.
       We support a stronger partnership between the religious 
     community and the government in serving and empowering poor 
     families. For this crucial public-private partnership to 
     survive, it is imperative that Congress pass welfare reform 
     legislation that maintains an effective and helpful role for 
     the federal government to care for our nation's needy.
           Sincerely,
       The Catholic Community:
       Bishop John Ricard, S.S.J., Chair of the Domestic Policy 
     Committee of the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference;
       The Very Reverend Gerald L. Brown, S.S.J., President, Roman 
     Catholic Conference of Major Superiors of Men's Institutions;
       Andree Fries, C.P.P.S., President, Leadership Conference of 
     Women Religious;
       Reverend Fred Kammer, S.J. President, Catholic Charities 
     USA;
       Reverend Michael Linden, S.J. Associate, Jesuit Conference 
     USA, National Office of Jesuit Social Ministries;
       Kathy Thornton, RSM, National Coordinator, NETWORK: A 
     National Catholic Social Justice Lobby.
       The Protestant Community:
       Reverend Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, General Secretary, 
     National Council of Churches of Christ;
       Reverend Dr. Gordon L. Sommers, President, National Council 
     of Churches, and President, Moravian Church, Northern 
     Province;
       Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, the Diocese of the Armenian 
     Church of America;
       Bishop Edmond L. Browning, Presiding Bishop of the 
     Episcopal Church;
      Bishop Herbert W. Chilstrom, Evangelical Lutheran Church in 
     America; Reverend Donald M. Hallberg, Lutheran Social 
     Services of Illinois; Reverend Elenora Giddings Ivory, 
     Presbyterian Church USA, Washington Office; Larry Jones, 
     President, Feed the Children; Reverend Dr. Donald E. 
     Miller, General Secretary, Church of the Brethren; 
     Reverend Dr. Paul H. Sherry, President of the United 
     Church of Christ; Ronald J. Sider, President, Evangelicals 
     for Social Action; Bishop Melvin G. Talbert, Secretary, 
     Council of Bishops, United Methodist Church; Reverend 
     Robert Tiller, Director, American Baptist Churches USA, 
     Office of Governmental Relations.
       Historical Black Churches: Bishop H. Hartford Brookins, 
     African Methodist Episcopal Church; Bishop William H. Grazes, 
     Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, First Episcopal 
     District; Dr. E. Edward Jones, President, National Baptist 
     Convention of America; Dr. Henry Lyons, President, National 
     Baptist Convention USA, Inc.; Reverend H. Michael Lemmons, 
     Executive Director, Congress of National Black Churches; Dr. 
     B.W. Smith, President, Progressive National Baptist 
     Convention; Bishop Roy L.H. Winbush, Church of God and 
     Christ; Chair, Congress of National Black Churches.
       Quakers and Unitarians: Kara Newell, Executive Director, 
     American Friends Service Committee; Joe Volk, Executive 
     Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation; Richard 
     S. Scobie, Executive Director, Unitarian Universalist Service 
     Committee.
       Religious Public Policy Organizations: David Beckmann, 
     President, Bread for the World.
       Muslim Community: Abdurahman Alamoudy, Executive Director, 
     American Muslim Council.
       Jewish Community: Rabbi Alexander Schindler, President, 
     Union of American Hebrew Congregations; Rabbi Paul Menitoff, 
     Executive Vice President, Central Conference of American 
     Rabbis; Rabbi David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action 
     Center of Reform Judaism; Alan Ades, President, United 
     Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; Rabbi Jerome Epstein, 
     Executive Vice President, United Synagogue of Conservative 
     Judaism; Rabbi Alan Silverstein, President, Rabbinical 
     Assembly; Rabbi Joel Meyers, Executive Vice President, 
     Rabbinical Assembly; Dr. Ismar Schorsch, Chancellor, Jewish 
     Theological Seminary; Michael Cohen, President, 
     Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA); Yael Shuman, 
     Executive Director, RRA; Jane Susswein, President, Federation 
     of Reconstructionist Congregations and Havurot (FRCH); Rabbi 
     Mordechai Leibling, Executive Director, FRCH; Rabbi David A. 
     Teutsch, President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College; Dr. 
     Mandell I. Ganchrow, President, Union of Orthodox Jewish 
     Congregations; Martin S. Kraar, Executive Vice President, 
     Council of Jewish Federations; Lynn Lyss, Chair, National 
     Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council.
     

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