Religious Leaders Appeal to Senate's Conscience on Farm Bill
Full Page Ad Runs in Roll Call Calling on Senators to Support Reform
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
(Washington, DC) As the 2007 Farm Bill reaches the Senate floor, religious leaders appealed to the consciences of U.S. Senators. Clergy speaking at the Capitol today made clear that Senators have a choice: continue to prop up the wealthiest farmers and landowners with subsidies that undermine the livelihoods of American farmers and the world's poor, or put our great nation on the path to fighting hunger in America and extreme poverty that kills thousands of God's children each day.
Many of the religious organizations participating in the press conference also signed their name to a full page ad that ran in Roll Call today calling on the Senate to support reform.
“The Senate has some tough choices to make, but choosing between help for hungry people trying to feed their families and payments to millionaire farmers shouldn't be one of them,” said Rev. David Beckmann, President of Bread for the World. “The Lugar-Lautenberg amendment would both strengthen assistance to hungry people and create a safety net for all farmers.”
"Congress created the first farm bill to be an expression of the character of America and a covenant with farmers rooted in fairness, equity, and opportunity for all, but today’s farm bill has strayed far from this vision, benefiting primarily large, rich farms while adding to the struggles of hard-working family farmers and exacerbating deadly poverty around the world,” said the Rt. Rev. John Bryson Chane, Bishop of Washington (Episcopal). “2007 is the year for Congress to reclaim the time-honored values of the past in creating a farm bill for the 21st Century."
“If our African farmers didn’t have to compete with heavily subsidized crops from the US, they would be able to send more of our children to school, provide better diets for their families, and reinvest in the farming sector,” said Bishop Thomas Kabore of Kaya, Burkina Faso, who is in Washington along with other West African religious leaders to press for change. “We ask Senators to hear these voices – far from this place - that want nothing more than a fair chance to grow their crops, to sell what they produce and to make a living for themselves and their children.”
“We have a historic opportunity with this legislation to reduce hunger and poverty both here in the United States and in some of the world’s most impoverished countries,” said Jim Wallis, President and CEO of Sojourners. “It’s time for our Senators to show courageous leadership to enact reforms that serve the common good.”
"Don't ignore the needs of the poor in the next Farm Bill,” said John Carr, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “The next Farm Bill should target limited resources to those who need the most help rather than those who need it least. This is why we support a meaningful payments limits amendment. We call on Senators to do the right thing for those that need help, for struggling farmers and hungry people at home and for some of our poorest brothers and sisters around the world. "
"Seldom do legislative issues become as clear cut a choice as greed vs. need, the privileged few vs. the modest majority; but real reform of the Farm bill is just such an issue," said Rev. Dr. Earl D. Trent, Jr. Director of Missions, Progressive National Baptist Convention. “The Progressive National Baptist Convention urges the Senate to take the bold moral steps to insure that the Farm Bill of 2007 is a reflection of true American values of fairness, hope and opportunity for all."
Religious leaders representing other participating denominations added their support for reform:
“The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church has expressed concern that payments are going to the largest, wealthiest farms while leaving behind the majority of farm families,” said the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). “We urge the Senate to pass meaningful commodity program payment limits such as those proposed by Senators Dorgan (D-ND) and Grassley (R-IA).”
“People of faith throughout the country are calling on their Senators to do what is right for the common good,” said Reverend Jon Anderson, Bishop of Southwestern Minnesota Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. “I pray Senators will vote yes for amendments that target government support to farmers that need it most and increase investment in rural development, conservation and nutrition programs.”
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CONTACT: Katie Barge, Faith in Public Life, (202) 243-8289 Kevin Moore, USCCB, (202) 541-3206 Shawnda Hines, Bread for the World, (301) 960-4913 Alex Baumgarten, the Episcopal Church, (202) 547-7300
