Lutherans Oppose Budget Amendment

LUTHERANS OPPOSE BUDGET AMENDMENT

The Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), Washington,
D.C., and the Association of Lutheran Social Ministry
Organizations (ALSMO), St. Paul, Minn., joined their voices in
opposition to a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution
requiring a balanced budget. The measure failed March 4 to
receive the necessary two-thirds of the votes in the U.S. Senate.
Kay S. Dowhower, director for LOGA, and Joanne Negstad, ALSMO's
executive director, sent letters Feb. 5 asking key members of
Congress to oppose the amendment. They called the balanced
budget amendment a "requirement that allows for little
flexibility under difficult circumstances." Dowhower and Negstad
said it would "make it easier for Congress to cut funding than to
raise revenues" in times of a natural disaster or economic
downturn. Using recent efforts to reduce the federal budget as
examples, they said "the programs serving low-income people"
would be the easiest for Congress to prune. On Jan. 31 the ALSMO
board passed a resolution similar to one adopted in 1992 by the
Division for Church in Society of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA) to back a balanced budget that gives priority
to human needs. LOGA is the federal public policy advocacy
office of the ELCA. ALSMO represents about 280 organizations
that provide human services in all 50 states.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html