Opinion: Big Beautiful Bill to take from poor and give to rich.' That's not Christian.
We need look no further than the omnibus budget bill that has passed the House and is currently before the Senate (often referred to as The Big Beautiful Bill.) This bill is a massive transfer of wealth from poor to rich.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Americans in the highest 10% of income would gain the equivalent of $12,000 a year, while the lowest 10% would lose nearly $1,600 a year. This despite some 'populist features' such as the elimination of taxes on tips and a $4,000 tax credit for low income folks on Social Security. These 'features' expire at the end of Trump's term, when, apparently, poor people won't need them anymore. The tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy are permanent.
The Wharton Budget Model predicts that those in the top 10% of income will receive 65% of the bill's benefits, while increasing the deficit by $3.2 trillion over 10 years. The Yale Budget lab estimates that, under the provisions of the bill, only the richest 20% would be better off.
Working people who are sick had better pray for good health, because this bill is going to leave them high and dry. Between the expiration of subsidies for those enrolled under the Affordable Care Act, and cuts in Medicaid, the CBO estimates that 3% of Americans, or 16 million people, will lose their health coverage. This includes 520,000 people in North Carolina.
The bill also cuts food assistance programs like SNAP. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would cut as much as $300 billion from SNAP, the largest cut in the program's history. An estimated one in four aid recipients may be affected, many of them children. Some states that cannot afford to make up for federal cuts may eliminate the program entirely.
In other words, this bill takes from the poor to give to the rich. Takes from our children and gives to the rich. Takes from the sick and hungry and gives to the rich. That seems anti-Christian to me.
I am no Biblical scholar, but I majored in philosophy and comparative religions as an undergraduate. I even read the book(s.)
Jesus, especially, was a champion of the poor.
1 John 3:17. But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Prov. 19:17. He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.
Besides the rich, who are the winners in this budget? The legislation provides $46.5 billion to build Trump's wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, $4 billion to hire an additional 3,000 new Border Patrol agents, 5,000 new customs officers, and funds for 10,000 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and investigators. We need more people to round up folks at Home Depot, hunt them down in farmer's fields, and stow undocumented people in torture prisons overseas with no due process.
Doesn't the Bible tell us to welcome immigrants?
Leviticus 19:33–34.When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.
You don't have to take my word for this. The Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church and the Lutheran Church are among those urging senators not to accept the budget as adopted by the House. America Magazine, a Jesuit publication, says 'the legislation is anything but beautiful, at least from the perspective of Catholic teaching.'
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent a letter to Congress 'strongly encouraging them to reconsider provisions that harm the poor and disadvantaged, our immigrant brothers and sisters, and the environment.'
I am proud to highlight this issue for those in the Trump administration concerned about anti-Christian policies. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
More: Opinion: Republicans' new 'budget framework' will still add trillions to national debt
More: Opinion: Fallout from Big Beautiful Bill voted for by Chuck Edwards would be far-reaching
C.S. Chima is a writer and retired health care administrator in Asheville.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Opinion: Big Beautiful Bill tax cuts for wealthy to hurt poor
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