Washington Failed the Poor (Again). Now We Face the Failure of Our Democracy

Perhaps I am reading the Matthew 25 text wrong. Does it really say “As you have done to the oil drillers and investment bankers you have done to me?”

“Woe to you, legislators,” is the text from Isaiah 10 that I used in my July 6 column, in which I called the failure of Congress to extend the Child Tax Credit a moral disgrace that will harm millions of families. 

Now we have the Inflation Reduction Act, which the Senate passed on August 7, and is likely  to be approved by the House this Friday before it goes to President Biden’s desk to sign – which he happily will do. It’s an important bill that takes a big step forward on renewable energy for climate change, enables Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug costs, enhances support with health care premiums for many middle and lower-middle income families and increases some taxes on corporations.

But just as the Child Tax Credit, which was and is the most impactful policy to help the poorest children in America, got left out of previous versions of this bill, including the final version, ensuring health care coverage for the poorest people in America also got left out again in the final Inflation Reduction Act. For 2.2 million people, 60% of whom are Black and brown and live in states that decided not to extend federally funded Medicaid coverage, this failure to close the gap leaves them without any health care. That failure is, indeed, a national and moral one. 

A provision in the climate pieces of the IRA focuses on low income communities. However, every other measure aimed at support for low-income families and children, which a wide range of faith and church leaders worked hard for, and that would have brought more racial and economic equity in America, was removed along the way to this final bill. 

(For those interested, here is a more thorough analysis of how the IRA fails the poor from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.)

Even with otherwise good bills, leaving out the poor and vulnerable is a long-standing pattern in American politics. Senator Raphael Warnock fought to close the gap on health care for those poorest Americans, but his message lost in the deal made in a  narrow 50-50 Senate that has given a West Virginia Senator virtual veto power – a role he seems to enjoy. 

Let’s be very clear here, Senator Joe Manchin forced everything directly for the poor to be taken out of each and every successive attempt to pass the Build Back Better bills, including this final version called the Inflation Reduction Act. As a professing Catholic, Joe needs to reread the judgment passage in the 25th chapter of Matthew’s gospel, which focuses on how we treat “the least of these.” But the politics of Jesus is mostly absent in the politics of Washington. Manchin did manage to protect his drilling donors with more fossil fuel pipelines. And his veto partner, Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, removed from final legislation any tax increases on her wealthy hedge fund investors.

Perhaps I am reading the Matthew 25 text wrong. Does it really say “As you have done to the oil drillers and investment bankers you have done to me?”

And, of course, every Republican voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, as it doesn’t fit their only criteria for moral and legislative decision making: does it help or hurt President Joe Biden? And does it conform to the will of their still-President, out of office but still in control of their party, Donald Trump? As with anything to do with helping the poor in America and caring for the “least of these,” the Republican Party can be counted on for a reliable and consistent “no” vote. They too might want to look at Matthew 25, particularly those who profess to be Christian. 

Let’s look closer at the bi-partisan efforts many of us made to change things for the better, especially faith-based organizations, who are not motivated by partisan loyalty but gospel priorities.

I was on a conference call again this week with other faith leaders when this increasingly difficult problem came up. Protecting the poor, protecting the planet and telling the truth are simply not concerns for this Republican party, which consistently attacks the poor but not poverty, denies everything from climate danger to legitimate elections, is trying to suppress voting rights, and remains in the ugly grip of a racist authoritarian leader they are all afraid to oppose. 

I was among the faith leaders who advocated at the White House and on Capitol Hill for more provisions to protect and care for the poor in the legislation that became the Inflation Reduction Act.

This Republican Party is riddled with lies, shows a complete lack of compassion for the vulnerable, is no longer bound by democratic principles and procedures and is openly seeking to disrupt and steal the next two elections – by any means necessary. Such an ideology cannot be worked with, but must be opposed. 

Sojourners once put out a bumper sticker which said “God is not a Republican or a Democrat,” which went everywhere. I still believe that, and still often find myself at odds with political extremism of both the right and left. But the Republican Party has become the Extremist Party, and the authoritarian rule it plans will be racialized, just like its behavior.

I still believe this.

And just to say, if I were able to vote in the Wyoming primary next Tuesday, August 16, I would eagerly vote for Rep. Liz Cheney, with whom I completely disagree with on most public policy issues, but who has shown the courage to defend democracy. Because of that, has been excommunicated from the Republican Party. She has been excluded and excoriated, as have all other Republicans who have dared to stand up, by a racist, extremist, lawless, authoritarian, and – let’s say the word – fascist political leader.

At the deepest level, we are in a fight for democracy. Our ultimate goal is a multi-racial democracy in America with all parties (two or more), with different philosophical perspectives and political strategies but all committed to the peaceful transfer of power after fair and free elections accessible to all citizens, who are all God’s children and who are all made in God’s image. But any ideology that denies the outcomes of fair elections, and tries to make it harder to vote for all citizens who might disagree with them – especially targeting votes of color — must be opposed on moral grounds. 

Please discuss moral voting principles with your friends, families and members of your congregations and communities. Everything is at stake.