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Faithful Budget Action Toolkit
Background | Faith Perspective | Take Action | Resources | Programs and Organizations
 Important decisions about our national budget are being made, and you can make a big difference in the outcome. Congress must cut from our federal debt. They will choose between rolling back the 2001 tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, or cutting lifeline Social Security benefits and programs such as the Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC) and Head Start.
Humanitarian and poverty-focused foreign assistance total only one percent of the federal budget. Yet, these programs save millions of lives, build self-reliance among the world’s most vulnerable, and serve the U.S. and global interest of helping build a more stable and secure world for all people. Below are ways you can take action and make a difference.
- Ask Congress for a Faithful Budget. Sign this petition.
- Organize a meeting with your Member of Congress.
As a constituent your views are important to Members of Congress. Schedule an appointment to let them know what you think. These resources will help you schedule and hold a meeting with your Member of Congress. Your Senators will be in your home state April 2-13, 2012.
- Host a public prayer vigil.
Organize an ecumenical prayer vigil at your local Congressional office to pray for wisdom for these decision-makers, demonstrating the concern of people of conscience. Sample vigil litanies can be found here. Be sure invite your Member of Congress and their staff to join you in prayer and alert the media by sharing an advisory like this one with your local media outlets.
- Send a letter to Congress from faith leaders in your community.
Send a letter to your Member of Congress sharing your views.
- Letters to the editor from people in your congregation.
Use our template to help you write your letter and make it personal. If you cite your Member of Congress by name, their staff is sure to see the letter and take note.
- Talk about it on social media. To share Faithful Budget-related prayers, reflections, and action opportunities on Twitter, use the hashtag #faithfulbudget. Share a link to this toolkit on Facebook and encourage your friends to share, too. Lastly, most members of congress are on Facebook. Posting on their wall is a quick and easy way of letting them know you care about this issue.
Check out the Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs’ Budget Page:
http://www.domestichumanneeds.org/
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