Washington, D.C. – Bread for the World today released the following statement regarding President Trump’s State of the Union address. The statement can be attributed to Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World:
“What most concerns many of the nation’s church leaders is the resurgence of racism and the neglect of poverty. That was the message of the statement that 80 Christian leaders issued this week. But the State of the Union address failed to mention racism and offered only passing attention to measures that would address poverty.
“We were grateful that President Trump didn’t mention cuts to programs that help people in poverty. Instead he talked about job training, paid family leave, and reforming prisons so that inmates will to have a second chance at life when they are released. We hope that congressional Republicans and Democrats, as they meet in their party retreats over the coming days, will develop these ideas into legislative action- such as passing the bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act (S.1917).
“We join the president in celebrating the economy. Because of economic growth, poverty continues to decline in our country and worldwide. But the tax cut bill, which benefits mainly high-income people, has so far had limited impact on the economy, and tax cuts for high-income people are clearly not the best way to improve job opportunities for low- and middle-income workers.
“We welcome President Trump’s support for a path to citizenship for Dreamers and for a bipartisan compromise on immigration policy. The president’s proposal is a starting point for negotiation. We take issue with the President’s heavy emphasis on violent criminals among our immigrant population. America is better and stronger when we work together and rise above the rhetoric of division. As Christians, we are called by our faith to protect the sanctity of families and provide welcome to immigrants.
“We disagree with the president’s negative comments about aid to reduce hunger and poverty around the world. The United States and the world have made tremendous progress against hunger and poverty – so much so that we could see the virtual end to hunger within our lifetimes. Foreign aid is good for our economy, good for our security, and good for our soul.”
Afghanistan would be considered likely to have high rates of hunger because at least two of the major causes of global hunger affect it—armed conflict and fragile governmental institutions.
Malnutrition is responsible for nearly half of all preventable deaths among children under 5. Every year, the world loses hundreds of thousands of young children and babies to hunger-related causes.
Bread for the World is calling on the Biden-Harris administration and Congress to build a better 1,000-Days infrastructure in the United States.
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in faith.” These words from Colossians 2:6 remind us of the faith that is active in love for our neighbors.
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The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to respond to changes in need, making it well suited to respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bread for the World and its partners are asking Congress to provide $200 million for global nutrition.
In 2017, 11.8 percent of households in the U.S.—40 million people—were food-insecure, meaning that they were unsure at some point during the year about how they would provide for their next meal.