Another budget-issue article, from NCReporter, all about damage from cuts:

Responding to the demands of new tea party-backed members of Congress and concerns among independent voters about the growing federal deficit, the White House and congressional Republicans proposed steep cuts in the federal budget, many of which will affect programs that aid the poor and vulnerable.

Many Catholics have warned that the budget is being balanced on the backs of the poor and the U.S. bishops conference has urged Congress to maintain funding for programs that aid the poor.

In a letter to members of Congress released last month, Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton, Calif., chairman of the bishops Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, called on Congress specifically to spare cuts to community health centers, job re-training and affordable housing programs, as well as aid to migrants. We remind Congress that the poor and vulnerable have a priority claim on our limited, although still substantive, financial resources, Blaire wrote.

Is there a bishops’ committee on fiscal responsibility? How government spending hurts poor people by encouraging inflation and endangering the fiscal well-being of the nation? Tell me which of these Departments & Programs has or provides room for such a committee?

African American Affairs  Aid to Central & Eastern Europe American College Louvain Asian Pacific Island Affairs Audio Canonical Affairs Catechism Catholic Campaign for Human Development Catholic Communication Campaign Catholic News Service Catholic Relief Services Collection Child & Youth Protection Church in Latin America Clergy, Consecrated Life, Vocations Consecrated Life Diaconate Priestly Life & Ministry Vocations & Priestly Formation Communications Cultural Diversity African American Affairs Asian Pacific Island Affairs Hispanic Affairs Native American Affairs Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers Defense of Marriage Digital Media Divine Worship Doctrine Domestic Social Development Ecumenical & Interreligious Affairs Education Environmental Justice Program Evangelization and Catechesis Faithful Citizenship Finance/Accounting General Counsel Generation Christ Government RelationsHYPERLINK “http://www.usccb.org/hm/index.html”

Home Missions  Hispanic Affairs Human Resources International Justice and Peace Justice, Peace and Human Development Laity, Marriage, Family Life & Youth Liturgy (Now Divine Worship) Media Relations Migration & Refugee Services National Collections Catholic Campaign for Human Development Catholic Communication Campaign Catholic Home Missions Appeal The Catholic Relief Services Collection Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe Collection for the Church in Latin America Peter’s Pence Collection Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa National Pastoral Initiative on Marriage National Religious Retirement Office Native American Affairs Natural Family Planning New American Bible North American College Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers Peter’s Pence Pro-Life Activities Publishing Roman Missal Science & Human Values Social Development & World Peace (Now Justice, Peace and Human Development) USCCB Commission on Certification and Accreditation Video World Mission World Youth Day

Even bishops with heart in right place — we can’t assume that of all of them, fallen human nature being what it is — are caught up entirely in results of de-funding. Except for abortion and same-sex marriage, have they ever objected to government interference or complaisance? Are there no moral issues bound up in the statist approach?