By Brett Wilkins
As the United States faces looming Republican government shutdown and as harmful impacts of the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed in July by President Donald Trump begin to affect millions of Americans, clergy and impacted people and rallied Monday in eight states “to expose how leaders are twisting and warping Christianity to push policies that hurt poor and vulnerable communities.”
The latest round of Moral Monday rallies led by Bishop William J. Barber II and Repairers of the Breach took place across the US South to highlight the deadly impact of the OBBA, which organizers are calling the “Big Ugly Destructive Deadly Bill.”
The law, which was signed by Trump on July 4, made the deepest cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in history while slashing billions from other essential social programs to fund massive tax breaks for billionaires and corporations. The OBBA ends health coverage and food assistance for millions of Americans at a time when more than 47 million Americans—including 1 in 5 US children—are living in food insecure households.
Experts say the cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other social safety net programs will lead to 17 million people losing healthcare and 51,000 deaths. To highlight this staggering figure, faith leaders delivered 51 caskets to lawmakers’ offices across the South.
Speakers at Moral Monday rallies also underscored how GOP policymakers and right-wing commentators “are increasingly pushing a warped version of Christianity to advance policies that hurt the poor and vulnerable.”
Policymakers have made clear that they are willing to sacrifice the poor for the consolidation of power,” he added.
Speaking in Montgomery, Alabama, Repairers of the Breach national director of religious affairs Rev. Dr. Hanna R. Broome said that “when poor families are stripped of healthcare and lifesaving resources—when the vulnerable are sacrificed for greed—we cannot remain silent.”
“My faith calls me to love my neighbor, not abandon them to suffering,” Broome added. “Nations will be judged by how we treat the poor and vulnerable, not by our military might or [gross domestic product].”
This article was originally published in Common Dreams under Creative Commons 3.0 license. Read the original article. Contact: editor@commondreams.org
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