Letter to Congress on Behalf of Poor During Covid Crisis

Below is a copy of the letter sent to Congress by Catholic groups.

May 5, 2020 

“True statecraft is manifest when, in difficult times, we uphold high principles and think of the long-term common good.” (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, #178) 

Dear Member of Congress: 

We are Catholic religious orders and organizations from around the United States who write to you grounded in our faith’s call to preserve the dignity of each person, prioritize the needs of people who are poor and vulnerable, and care for God’s creation. 

While the coronavirus has made all of us vulnerable to illness and financial setbacks, we know that low-income communities and communities of color face greater risks due to already existing health and economic disparities. We therefore thank you for passing legislation during the upward curve of the pandemic that not only protects our heroic healthcare workers but also provides crucial relief for millions of us and our neighbors who have lost jobs and income. 

We see, however, that some communities are still bearing a larger burden from the pandemic and the economic fallout, and we urge you to ease these impacts in future relief packages. Specifically we call for: 

• Healthcare resources to be directed to African-American and Latino communities and tribal nations historically and currently harmed by air and water pollution that puts residents at higher risk for respiratory illnesses 
• A nationwide moratorium on shut-offs of water, electricity and heat to ensure that low- income households aren’t left more susceptible to the coronavirus due to lack of access to such basic necessities 
• Increased funding for energy efficiency programs such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) that benefit low-income households. 

While these immediate needs are uppermost in our minds, we also are looking ahead toward getting people back to work and building a more resilient and healthy society once the worst of the health crisis has passed. We are compelled to seek a sustainable recovery that reduces risks to communities disproportionately vulnerable to health crises and economic disruption and that addresses the looming global climate crisis that similarly threatens lives and livelihoods. 

As we look ahead, our priorities include: 

• Investments in clean energy industries such as solar and wind through mechanisms like clean energy tax credits. Studies have shown that these industries are more labor-intensive and create more jobs than do the fossil fuel industries. 
• Job training for the clean energy economy of the future, especially creating such opportunities for workers transitioning out of fossil fuel industries and for low-income communities 
• Investments in public transportation to ensure workers access to new job opportunities while reducing pollution and helping to mitigate climate change 
• Investments in infrastructure to ensure that everyone living in the United States has access to clean water. During the COVID-19 pandemic we see how many vulnerable communities are put at greater risk of infection because they can not engage in recommended hygiene practices. 
• Increasing air pollution standards and oversight, especially for mercury and other toxic metals, and upholding environmental impact studies as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. This is necessary to reduce pollution that puts residents of many communities, too often low-income communities of color, at greater risk for viruses like COVID-19. 
• Redirecting some of the excessive US military budget to foreign assistance supporting public health, humanitarian programs, disaster preparedness and response, and sustainable infrastructure in developing countries. Boosting security at home now clearly means reducing as much as possible the threats of future global pandemics and the global climate crisis. 

The coronavirus has exposed both the weaknesses and strengths of our infrastructure and support systems. Far too many people and communities, left behind in the best of times, are becoming disproportionately vulnerable to COVID-19 and the economic fall-out. Yet we also see a willingness to make individual and collective sacrifices for the common good, and the capacity for governments at all levels to allocate in a short period of time the resources needed to address a global crisis. 

In upcoming legislation we urge you to protect those most harmed during the current pandemic while also ensuring that persons who have been shown to be most vulnerable to illness and job losses benefit during the recovery. This also is an important moment to prepare for the next crisis and increase resilience for everyone, regardless of race, class, income and zip code. 

Sincerely, 

Adorers of the Blood of Christ, US Region Adrian Dominican Sisters Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board Albany Province Justice Committee Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Association of United States Catholic Priests Benedictine Sisters of Erie Bon Secours Mercy Health Carmelite NGO Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers Care for Creation Committee Catholic Theological Union Christian Life Community, New York Region Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, US Region, Missionary Society of St. Columban CommonSpirit Health Conference for Mercy Higher Education Congregation of Divine Providence 

Congregation of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul USA Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters of Caldwell Dominican Sisters of Hope Dominican Sisters of Houston Dominican Sisters of Peace Dominican Sisters of San Rafael and Mission San Jose Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, Leadership Team EarthCARE Committee of IHM Sisters Edmund Rice Christian Brothers North America Elizabeth Seton Federation Erie Benedictines for Peace Franciscan Action Network Franciscan Sister, Executive Director, New Mexico Interfaith Power and LIght Franciscan Sisters and Cojourners of Rochester, Minnesota Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Franciscan sisters of the Sacred Heart Franciscans for Justice Glenmary Home Missioners Global Catholic Climate Movement Global Catholic Climate Movement — TN chapter Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart Holy Cross International Justice Office Ignatian Solidarity Network IHM Sisters Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology Jesuit Social Research Institute, Loyola University New Orleans JPIC Coordinator Daughters of Wisdom Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation Committee, Dominicans of Springfield, IL Leadership Conference of Women Religious Leadership Team of Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN Leadership Team of Sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg Leadership Team of the Congregation of St.Joseph Leadership Team of the Felician Sisters of North America Loretto Community 

Loretto Earth Network Marianist Province of the U.S. Marianist Social Justice Collaborative Steering Committee Marist Fathers and Brothers Marquette University Center for Peacemaking Maryknoll Lay Missioners Maryknoll Sisters, Western U.S. Region Medical Mission Sisters Mercy Investment Services, Inc. Metro NY Catholic Climate Movement National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd National Council of Catholic Women NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, Sisters of IHM Office of Peace, Justice, and Ecological Integrity/Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth Order of Friars Minor Conventual Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters Partnership for Earth Spirituality Pax Christi – National Shrine of Our Lady of LaSalette Pax Christi Greensburg Pax Christi Metro New York Pax Christi USA Pax Christi, National Shrine of Our Lady of LaSalette Peace and Justice coordinator, Western Province Congregation of the Mission Pedro Arrupe Jesuit Institute Presentation Sisters San Francisco, CA Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order Rejedores de Comunidad Inc. Religious Order- Marianites of Holy Cross Roman Union Ursulines in the United States Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey School Sisters of Notre Dame Atlantic Midwest Province School Sisters of Notre Dame, CP JPIC Office Sisters of Charity Federation Sisters of Charity Halifax Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Office of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Congregational Leadership Sisters of Charity of Nazareth Western Province Leadership Sisters of Charity of New York Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill Generalate Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill U.S. Province 

Sisters of Charity, BVM Sisters of Christian Charity Sisters of Mary Reparatrix, United State Region Sisters of Mercy Mid-Atlantic area Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Leadership Team Sisters of Most Precious Blood Leadership Team Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur USA Sisters of Notre Dame, Toledo Province Sisters of Providence Mother Joseph Province Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA Sisters of St. Dominic of Tacoma and Associates Sisters of St. Francis (Oldenburg) Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia Sisters of St. Joseph Brentwood, New York Sisters of St. Joseph Earth Center Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet: Albany Province Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield Sisters of the Holy Cross Sisters of the Holy Family Sisters of the Holy Names Mid-Atlantic Mission Center Sisters of the Holy Names, US-Ontario Province Leadership Team Sisters of the Humility of Mary Sisters of the Humility of Mary JPIC Office Sisters of the Immaculate Heart Of Mary, Immaculata, PA Sisters of the Living Word Sisters of the Precious Blood Sisters of the Presentation of the BVM of Aberdeen SD Society of the Holy Child Jesus Society of the Sacred Heart United States-Canada Province Srs. of St. Joseph of Carondelet, LA Province The Catholic Health Association of the United States . U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking Union of Sisters of the Presentation of the BVM Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland Wheaton Franciscans, Wheaton IL World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations, North American Region 

Xaverian Missionaries USA