Religious Leaders Press for Farm Bill Reform
Christian Leaders Keep Pressure on Congressional Leaders as Ag Committee Heads into Mark up
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
(Washington, D.C.) Just hours before the House Agriculture Committee begins debating the 2007 Farm Bill today, prominent religious leaders of numerous denominations gathered on Capitol Hill to call for reform that reflects American values of fairness and equal opportunity.
“Our nation’s farm policy needs to be guided by a strong moral compass,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “An equitable system would not pour federal dollars into the largest farms in America without addressing the needs of those who need help the most.”
Leaders of Christian denominations and major religious advocacy organizations called not only on members of the Agriculture Committee, but also Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leaders in Congress, to ensure that a reform-minded bill reaches the House floor.
“The House leadership must begin to address this bill from a moral perspective, which transcends the typical as-you-go-politics that have sustained U.S. agricultural policy,” said Bishop John Bryson Chane of the Episcopal Church of Washington, DC.
This morning, the group sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi and other leaders in Congress, stating that the Farm Bill should:
• Reform the commodity program to significantly reduce payments that distort prices and supply in ways that violate U.S. commitments and harm farmers in poor countries.
• Make U.S. farm policy more equitable by strengthening help to poor farmers.
• Strengthen the food stamp program by increasing the benefits to reflect current costs of living and removing administrative barriers to access.
• Increase investment in rural communities with the greatest need, create new programs that assist rural entrepreneurs and promote small business development.
• Expand funding and access to conservation programs.
• Increase international food aid and ensure that the first Millennium Development Goal of reducing hunger by one half is achieved by 2015.
“The moral measure of U.S. farm policy is its ability to lift up those living in poverty, those struggling to make ends meet and earn a decent living,” said Father Andrew Small of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Small also discussed the intensive lobbying efforts of organizations participating in the Religious Working Group on the Farm Bill, which have included:
• Orchestrating more than 700 lobby visits to legislators’ D.C. and home state offices.
• Generating more than 85,000 letters sent to Congress and more than 8,000 phone calls.
• Mobilizing Faith Farm teams in 38 states to write letters to editors and to contact their members of Congress by telephone and postcard.
• Placing an ad calling for reform in Roll Call (when the bill comes to the House floor).
"We urge the Agriculture Committee and the leadership to work for a bill that helps farmers both here and in other parts of the world, that supports rural economies, that protects the land from harm, and that ensures that all people have enough to eat,” said Rev. Dr. Theodore F. Schneider, Bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, DC Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The leaders also discussed the centrality of Christian faith and values in their position on the farm bill.
“A prominent story in the Christian scriptures tells of Jesus feeding those who were hungry,” says Sister Simone Campbell, Director of NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. “We urge Congress to follow the dictates of Jesus and all other spiritual leaders – give healthy food to those who are hungry.”
# # #
Faith in Public Life is a communications and organizing resource center dedicated to strength and increasing the visibility of faith leaders dedicated to justice and the common good.
Faith in Public Life is a not-for-profit nonpartisan 501(c) (3) organization.
CONTACT: Katie Barge 202-481-8147 / 202-243-8289 or kbarge@faithinpubliclife.org
