The Big Ugly Bill and President

The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” to determine the nation’s future budgets, now before the U.S. Senate, shows Donald Trump at his ugliest.

The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” to determine the nation’s future budgets, now before the U.S. Senate, shows Donald Trump at his ugliest.

The faith community coined the phrase, “A budget is a moral document” and this bill, which comes straight from the Republican House, with Trump’s hard pressure, shows the moral math of this administration. And it shows that they are willing to sacrifice the poor for the sake of the rich.

The massive cuts to Medicaid and SNAP– programs that support the most vulnerable- add up to a trillion dollars. That political calculus of this historic bill which will define the budget of our nation for years to come is completely at odds with the gospel calculus.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts that 8.6 million low-income Americans will lose their health insurance, other analysis says up to 15 million. And 3.2 million would lose their food aid, again with others saying even more. That is as direct as it gets to violating the teachings of Jesus who, in the 25th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, specifically teaches his followers to care for the sick and feed the hungry and that how we treat these and others he called “the least of these” is how we literally treat him.

And for what? This historic bill directly opposes the teachings of Jesus– to give more money to the rich through massive tax cuts, paid for, not by shared sacrifice, but by the sacrifice of the poor. To call this a complete reversal of the values of Jesus, is not to engage in political rhetoric but to just state the facts.

I spoke with Brendan Duke, the Senior Director of Federal Fiscal Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), a widely respected think tank for policy analysis, to hear what the specific harms will be to those already in need.

The Center makes clear the parallel between 1.1 trillion in cuts to health care and food for the poor, with the exact same number of 1.1 trillion tax cuts to those already making more than $500 million per year–and how one literally pays for the other. Brendan lays out that “moral transfer” that is deeply objectionable on any moral grounds–and certainly an unacceptable calculation for diverse faith communities.

And to make this all worse, this bill would add 4 trillion dollars to the federal deficit, requiring more cuts in the future. Where are the self-described fiscal conservatives and deficit hawks going to be on this irresponsible bill? And what will the “faith factor” be with self-proclaimed Christians on both sides of the political aisle? If there is ever a time when faith overcomes intense political pressure and threats, this is that time.

The integrity of faith, not just politics, is at stake. That is why nearly 50 denominations and faith-based organizations are now joining to defeat this bill by changing both the vote and the narrative of what Christians most care about.

The energy on our planning calls has been extraordinary and unifying. We have decided to gather at the Capitol on June 10.

Christians will have just celebrated Pentecost Sunday just two days before on June 8th. Like the early Christians at Pentecost, this will be a time for modern Christians, inspired by the Holy Spirit in this moment, to find courage, come out of fear and hiding, and proclaim the gospel of Jesus.

And that is exactly what we will do on the first Tuesday of Pentecost season, June 10, at the U.S. Senate where a crucial decision will soon be made about the moral future of our nation. Compassion for the poor, verses succumbing to the rich.

And you all are invited to join with hundreds of others who are coming to Washington for this act of public faith.

Here is the link to sign up with all the information you will need. We will arrive at 10 AM and begin at 10:30 for a large gathering on the Capitol grounds with prayer, Scripture, and testimonies from a very diverse group of churches and networks. Then we will process with our robes, collars, stoles, and other religious vestments–for both clergy and other faith leaders– through the Capitol grounds, to culminate in a vigil on the Senate steps where we are inviting Senators from both parties to join us to welcome us, read from the Bible, and pray with us. Just imagine that powerful scene.

There are times when we must put faith into action. This is such a time.

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