I grew up on food stamps. 

My family depended on them even while my dad worked multiple jobs. If someone from work called him while he was sleeping, we knew the rule: wake him up no matter what so he could pick up an extra shift.

When I was old enough to work at 14, there were plenty of times my money went to help pay the bills. My family was the working poor. We depended on support like food stamps to help bridge the gap.

Now as a pastor in rural Alexander County, NC – I know the impact the budget cuts Congress is proposing will have on families in my community.

In the Christian tradition, Good Friday is the day Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate – a politician of the government, who could stop Jesus from suffering, who could stop Jesus from being executed. But he refuses.

Instead, Pilate just washes his hands and claims he’s innocent of any of the suffering Jesus will experience.

But we know Pilate isn’t innocent. He supported the very policies that condemned Jesus to death.

Congress Is Not Innocent

On Good Friday this year, members of my rural community walked through our community to different locations and took a close look at who this congressional budget is condemning to death.

We went to the health department and learned that 28% of our county is on Medicaid – insurance for people who are poor, elderly, disabled, pregnant women, and children. That’s over 10,000 people.

But even with Medicaid, 9% of our county still doesn’t have any insurance at all.

We need more insurance coverage than is provided.

Yet, Congress wants to cut funding to Medicaid and wash their hands of any suffering.

We went to the food pantry and learned that 14% of our county, a little over 5,000 people are on SNAP benefits (food stamps). But last year, that food pantry alone gave out food to almost 15,000 people. 3x more than the number of people on food stamps.

The need for food in my community is greater than what SNAP benefits are providing.

Yet, Congress wants to pass a federal budget that will cut SNAP benefits, and wash their hands of any suffering.

Congress is willing to cut life-saving services while increasing funding for the military budget, which is already larger than the 9 largest military budgets in the world combined.

This is immoral and goes against our faith traditions.

Jesus blesses the poor, but Congress is cursing them.

Jesus blesses those who mourn, yet Congress is ignoring them.

Jesus blesses the peacemakers, but Congress is blessing the war makers.

Jesus said to welcome the stranger, but Congress is raising money to deport them.

Jesus blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, but when we show up thirsty for justice, they lock us up while praying for it in the Capitol Building.

Jesus tells us to love our neighbor – and I’m pretty sure that means don’t pass budgets that take food away from people and strip them of healthcare.

Fraud and Waste

Congress wants to cut services to people in need and claim it is about fraud and waste.

But why is all the fraud and waste only in programs that support the poor and those who are struggling?

Is there no fraud and waste in the military budget? Is there no fraud in homeland security or ICE?

It turns out the real fraud is this budget.

The real misuse and abuse is how Congress is willing to kill people by cutting life-saving services while killing people with bombs and deportations.

Dr. King said, 

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

We are approaching spiritual and moral death.

Congress and this budget are condemning millions of people to death in our communities, and washing their hands of it.

But we know the truth.

Their hands aren’t clean.

They are the executioners.

We Know the Truth

Earlier this year, I was sitting in the soup kitchen in my community with a family whose mother had just been diagnosed with cancer. In the midst of all the budget cuts, executive orders, and spending freezes, I asked them, “Are any of things stopping your mom from getting the care she needs?”

The daughter said, “No, right now she is able to get the care she needs.”

Then she paused and said, “But we were lied to. We thought Trump cared about us. But he lied. They’ve all lied.”

We know the truth.

We know who the executioners are.

We know the real fraud is this budget.

Just this week, I spoke with a former law enforcement officer who is now on disability. They are on Medicaid and SNAP benefits trying to make ends meet while caring for aging parents. They know this budget will harm them and their family, even kill them. 

That’s why I’ll be in DC this Monday, June 3oth, and I hope you will join me. (In fact, you can even ride with me and others from my community on a charter bus we’ve organized: Ride to DC with Joel)

We will carry 51 caskets through DC representing the 51,000 people public health experts say will die next year if this budget is passed.

We will stand as prophetic witnesses to the truth that Congress is condemning people to death, all while claiming their hands are clean.

We will stand as witnesses to the truth that the blood that will be on their hands if this budget passes.

And that blood doesn’t come off, no matter how hard you wash.