THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH, USA 100 Maryland Ave, NE

EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA Suite 309

Presbyterian church (u.s.a.) Washington, D.C. 20003

United church of christ 202-547-7300

united methodist chuch gbcs 202-547-4457 (Fax)

**Contact: Maureen Shea FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**Phone: 1-800-228-0515 April 28, 2005**

Joint Statement from Five Mainline Protestant Leaders\
***\"Congress Should Reject This Budget\"***

In response to the FY 2006 Budget Conference Report to be considered by
Congress and as a follow-up to a March 8, 2005 press conference calling
the President's FY '06 Budget \"unjust,\" five mainline protestant
leaders issued the following statement:

On March 8 we, as leaders of the Episcopal Church USA, Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of
Christ, and United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society,
issued a joint statement questioning the priorities of President Bush's
2006 Federal Budget. We remembered the Gospel story of Lazarus and the
rich man\* and noted that the 2006 budget had much for the rich man but
little for Lazarus. It was our hope that Congress would take action on
behalf of \"Lazarus.\" Sadly, all indications are that that has not been
the case. Therefore, today we call upon Congress to reject this budget
and go back to the drawing boards.

We believe our federal budget is a moral document and should reflect our
historic national commitment for those in our own country who suffer
from hunger, lack of education, jobs, housing, and medical care as well
as concern for our global community. There are good programs that can
help solve all of these problems. We know, we have seen them at work and
we our doing our part with our own programs. But we cannot do it alone.
Government must be a partner in providing opportunities for our fellow
women and men to pursue their God given gifts. We commend those who
attempted to improve the FY '06 budget by adding funds for Medicaid,
education, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and
international family planning.  We regret that the speed with which this
document is being brought to the floor does not allow time for the
careful examination such a document requires.

As we view the FY '06 Federal Budget through our lens of faith this
budget, on balance, continues to ask our nation's working poor to pay
the cost of a prosperity in which they may never share. We believe this
budget remains unjust. It does not adequately address the more than 36
million Americans living below the poverty line, 45 million without
health insurance, or the 13 million hungry children. Worldwide it
neither provides sufficient development assistance nor adequately
addresses the Global AIDS pandemic. Therefore, we ask Congress to reject
this budget and begin anew.

We conclude today, as we did March 8, by asking that together we
\"pledge ourselves to creating a nation in which economic policies are
infused with the spirit of the man who began his public ministry almost
2,000 years ago by proclaiming that God had anointed him \"to bring good
news to the poor.\"

Signed by:

**The Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold\
**Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, USA\
**The Right Reverend Mark Hanson\
**Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American**\
The Reverend Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick\
**Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.)

**The Reverend John H. Thomas\
**General Minister and President, United Church of Christ**\
Mr. James Winkler\
**General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society, United
Methodist Church

*\*There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who
feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named
Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what
fell from the rich man\'s table; even the dogs would come and lick his
sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with
Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was
being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by
his side. He called out, \"Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I
am in agony in these flames\"*