Sister Simone Campbell's Testimony to House Budget Committee

On July 31, Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the Catholic Social Justice Lobby NETWORK, was given the opportunity to testify before the House Budget Committee about government programs that address poverty. The committee is chaired by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, whose 2012 budget proposals were criticized by NETWORK and NETWORK’s “Nuns on the Bus” because they included heavy cuts to vital programs that help people at the economic margins.

She spoke about the importance of public/private partnerships in serving the needs of all people, including those in poverty. Noting that one of the key drivers of poverty today is low wages, she reminded the committee that “68% of the children living in poverty live in families with working parents… The most important programs that help these families survive are principally EITC, CTC and SNAP, Medicaid and CHIP. They are hugely successful programs making a big difference.”   Read More

And she ended the her testimony with these words: