ELCA presiding bishop meets congressional leaders on budget, debt ceiling

Posted by on Friday, 22 July 2011

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), joined other religious leaders in a July 8 meeting with key congressional leaders in Washington, D.C. They shared concerns about the federal budget and the current stalemate between Republicans and Democrats over raising the debt ceiling and asked for protection of programs that benefit people living in hunger and poverty.

"Our focus was really on all the difficult decisions before Congress and the president," Hanson said. "We were there to be a voice on behalf of those who live in poverty."

The religious leaders met with two Wisconsin Republicans, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan and U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, plus budget committee staff. Ryan is chair of the House Budget Committee. The religious leaders also met with Mike Sommers, deputy chief of staff for the Republican leadership, and Katherine Haley, a member of House Speaker John Boehner's staff.

The ELCA presiding bishop noted that he and the religious leaders signed a public statement, "A Circle of Protection," in April. The statement spells out eight principles for protecting federal programs that meet the needs of people living in hunger and poverty, points the religious leaders emphasized in the meeting. "We tried to put a human face on incredibly huge numbers that came with balancing budgets and overcoming deficits," he said.

The religious leaders asked the congressional leaders to continue traditional exemptions for core programs benefitting low-income families from possible across-the-board cuts should these be included in current negotiations along with other proposed spending cuts, Hanson said. They also discussed the impact on U.S. global partners should foreign aid provisions in the federal budget be disproportionately reduced.

Despite differences in how funds are allocated, the religious leaders expressed appreciation to Ryan for his conviction that the Congress must remain committed to people living in poverty, Hanson said. "We thanked him for keeping this as a moral issue that frames budget decisions," the ELCA presiding bishop said.

Hanson described the meetings as substantive and constructive. "I do think they heard us," Hanson said.

In addition to Hanson, others religious leaders who attended the meetings were the Rev. David Beckmann, ELCA pastor and president of Bread for the World, Washington, D.C.; Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, Baltimore, incoming chair of U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops Committee on International Affairs; and Galen Carey, National Association of Evangelicals.

The leaders were accompanied by the Rev. Andrew Genszler, ELCA director for advocacy ministries, and John Carr, executive director, Justice Peace & Human Development, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.