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Washington, D.C. – Bread for the World urges lawmakers to quickly pass the two-year budget deal reached last night by congressional leaders and the White House.  

“Kudos to Speaker John Boehner for using the occasion of his retirement to get the nation’s work done. This deal is important to all of us, but especially to those who are struggling with hunger and poverty,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “The budget agreement recognizes that we cannot afford any more cuts to programs serving people who can least afford it. It also reduces uncertainty that could slow economic recovery and weaken the job market.”   

The budget deal suspends harmful automatic spending cuts, or sequestration, and raises the federal borrowing limit. Congressional leaders and the White House worked on the budget agreement until late Monday evening.

“We'd like to thank the congressional and White House leaders who have been quietly negotiating this budget deal," said Beckmann. “Now, we ask all members of Congress to pass the deal as soon as possible.”

Bread for the World has been calling on Congress to pass a responsible budget that addresses automatic cuts while also protecting funding for programs that serve people struggling with hunger in the U.S. and around the world.

“Agreement on the budget now allows Congress to focus on other legislative priorities that have serious implications for people struggling with hunger and poverty. These include reauthorizing the child nutrition programs, passing the Global Food Security Act, and making the expiring provisions of the earned income tax credit and child tax credit permanent,” Beckmann added.