Overwhelming Grassroots Response to Welfare Statement of Concern
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- More than 3,000 clergy, religious and lay leaders have joined TIA in calling on the
President and Congress to repair some of the damage done by last year’s welfare
overhaul efforts.
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- In December, TIA initiated a project aimed at influencing the debate about welfare reform
in the United States.
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- Inspired by a meeting between concerned clergy and Maryland’s governor earlier that
month, TIA mounted an effort to get the nation’s clergy and other religious leaders to
send a message to the White House and the Congress that the government cannot walk
away from their responsibilities to the poor, the homeless, the unemployed and
underemployed, those suffering from mental, emotional, and physical illnesses and
disabilities, and victims of abuse and neglect. Nor can they expect the nation’s churches,
synagogues, mosques, and other religious institutions to fill the gaping void left by this
vast reduction in services.
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- The “Statement of Concern By the Nation’s Clergy, Religious, and Lay People on the
Future of Welfare Reform” calls on the President and Congress to, “act swiftly,
courageously, and decisively to soften the blow of welfare overhaul legislation,”
recognizing that some aspects of the legislation attack the victims of poverty, not poverty
itself.
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- The statement urges that policy makers restore SSI benefits to disabled children, restore
food stamp and other benefits to legal immigrants, and work to assure that sound
employment opportunities are available to those welfare recipients who are required to
find employment. Thus far, over 1,600 clergy and religious leaders have signed the
petition, representing a remarkably broad range of religious denominations and coming
from virtually all fifty states. Also, 1,500 signatures have been received from concerned
laity around the country.
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- This overwhelming response is indicative of the importance of this issue in the religious
community. We are now talking with the President, Congressional leaders, and other
members of Congress from both parties with a goal of publicly presenting these signatures
to political leaders as they debate making changes in welfare regulations. We are pleased
that the nation’s governors have echoed some of our concerns, and that the President
included each of our recommendations in his recently-released budget proposals.
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- Starting in February, many of our local and state alliances will begin carrying the
signatures and message to their governors, state legislators, and Congressional
delegations as we expand and intensify our efforts in this important issue.
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