I didn’t see it posted in this thread, but it looks like the BBB will change donations/income to Non-Profit Organizations. No doubt there are conservative groups that will also be impacted, but this coupled with whittling away at USAID is going to cause disruptions to the leftists using ‘social organizations’ to fund BLM/Antifa/activist activities.

And NPR's federal funding is over.

The no good, terrible Pope is gone... but his legacy lives on. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, mostly appointed by Francis, will continue to do damage to the Church and oppose the President and Congress we elected:

20 U.S. bishops join interfaith effort opposing ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ which was signed into effect July 4

WASHINGTON — Prior to President Trump’s signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 20 U.S. Catholic bishops, including Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, signed onto an interfaith effort opposing the bill. The bishops called the bill, which will enact key provisions of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda on taxes and immigration, a “moral failure.”

The Senate drafted its version of the budget legislation that House Republicans passed in May under rules that would allow it to pass with a simple majority and avoid a filibuster. Trump signed the bill July 4.

“In realizing the full implications of this legislation, I was deeply disturbed by the numbers of those who would lose any healthcare coverage by the cut to Medicaid, and also the treatment of refugees and immigrants in the United States,” Archbishop Rozanski said. “Our faith teaches us to have a special place in our hearts for the poor and the least among us. This bill disregards the call of Jesus in our care for the poor amongst us. The clarity of the letter in addressing these critical issues speaks to the harmful effects that will come from this legislation.”

“It is important for religious leaders of all faiths to apply the tenets of faith in working for the common good. I was heartened to learn of the many faith leaders who have signed onto this letter, emphasizing the importance of bringing faith into the public square and seeking the common good,” he continued.

The letter from more than 40 faith leaders of several faith traditions — promulgated by Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, on June 26 — urged senators to reject the bill prior to the bill being passed by the Senate..

“We, the undersigned faith leaders, write to ask for your opposition to HR 1, the budget reconciliation legislation currently being considered by the U.S. Senate,” the letter said. “We believe that the changes made by the U.S. Senate to the legislation are insufficient and do not significantly mitigate its adverse effects.”

Archbishop Wester, who was joined by 19 U.S. bishops in signing the letter, said they thought it would be “a good idea for faith leaders to come together to express our deep and profound concern about this bill, because it’s going to hurt and harm so many people, particularly immigrants and families and those who depend on the government to assist them for their medical needs.”

“This (legislation) is really violating our Catholic social teaching in terms of a preferential option for the poor, welcoming the stranger in our midst, the common good, subsidiarity,” he said. “It’s a very draconian kind of a bill that seems to have little or no regard for the people that will be affected by it.”

The letter objected to allocating millions of dollars to the government’s mass deportation campaign, expressing concern that campaign would also infringe upon their houses of worship.

“We have already witnessed a reduction in attendance at many of our religious services in our denominations, as the threat of enforcement has deterred many families from practicing their faith,” the letter said.

It also objected to “severe cuts in healthcare coverage and food assistance to millions of both low-income citizens and legal residents, including asylum-seekers and refugees.” It argued those cuts would drive them “deeper into poverty.”

“From our various faith perspectives, the moral test of a nation is how it treats those most in need of support. In our view, this legislation will harm the poor and vulnerable in our nation, to the detriment of the common good,” the letter said. “Its passage would be a moral failure for American society as a whole.”

Among the bishops leading dioceses joining Archbishop Wester were Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington; Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey; Bishop Steven Biegler of Cheyenne, Wyoming; Bishop John P. Dolan of Phoenix; Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle; Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz of Jackson, Mississippi; Bishop Michael M. Pham of San Diego; Archbishop Rozanski of St. Louis; Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, California; Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky; Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima, Washington; and Archbishop Edward J. Weisenberger of Detroit. Retired Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, New York, several other auxiliary bishops, and representatives of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas rounded out the Catholic signatories on that letter, which also included representatives from Protestant, Jewish and Islamic faith traditions.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, USCCB president and head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, said in a July 3 statement after the vote, that he and the bishops had “repeatedly and consistently” urged lawmakers to make sure the bill would help families in need and “to change course” on aspects “that fail the poor and vulnerable.”

“The final version of the bill includes unconscionable cuts to healthcare and food assistance, tax cuts that increase inequality, immigration provisions that harm families and children, and cuts to programs that protect God’s creation,” Archbishop Broglio said. “The bill, as passed, will cause the greatest harm to those who are especially vulnerable in our society. As its provisions go into effect, people will lose access to healthcare and struggle to buy groceries, family members will be separated, and vulnerable communities will be less prepared to cope with environmental impacts of pollution and extreme weather.”

The USCCB president said, “More must be done to prevent these devastating effects.” He noted the Church’s own teaching on human dignity and the common good compels it “to redouble our efforts and offer concrete help to those who will be in greater need and continue to advocate for legislative efforts that will provide better possibilities in the future for those in need.”

A June 26 letter to senators from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops praised the provision that would strip funds from Planned Parenthood while opposing others that they said would raise taxes “on the working poor while simultaneously giving large tax cuts to the wealthiest.” The letter added, “Because of this, millions of poor families will not be able to afford life-saving healthcare and will struggle to buy food for their children. Some rural hospitals will likely close.” The bishops called these provisions “unconscionable and unacceptable.”

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated nearly 12 million people will lose health coverage under the legislation.

Ingrid Delgado, national director of public policy and advocacy for The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA, said “such large cuts to the social safety net are really concerning, with how it’ll impact our most marginalized.”

“The Catholic Church approaches both access to food and health care as fundamental human rights,” Delgado said. “And so the people who access SNAP in our country and the people who access Medicaid are our most marginalized and poorest brothers and sisters.”

Delgado said cuts to those programs could lead to “more people who are uninsured, who don’t have food on their tables, and more people facing the risk of homelessness.”

The legislation will significantly increase funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, and Customs and Border Patrol as the Trump administration seeks to implement its hardline immigration policies, including the mass deportation of immigrants lacking legal authorization to live and work in the U.S. It authorized about $150 billion in new spending for immigration and border enforcement. Prior to the bill’s passage, Vice President JD Vance touted immigration enforcement as the key reason he thought Congressional Republicans should approve the bill.

https://www.stlouisreview.com/...-big-beautiful-bill/

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:

“In realizing the full implications of this legislation, I was deeply disturbed by the numbers of those who would lose any healthcare coverage by the cut to Medicaid, and also the treatment of refugees and immigrants in the United States,” Archbishop Rozanski said.

First, sell the Church's vast art collection, move all the world's poor to Vatican City, and provide those poor what you demand I provide them.

Fuck you, schmuck.

When this letter was referenced in a homily at a mass I attended last week, I decided that I was tired of listening without responding.

So I wrote the priest:

Dear Father XX,

I listened to your homily on Saturday, which I found to be unnecessarily political and divisive. However, and at your urging, I went to the St. Louis Review to read the letter you referenced for myself.

WASHINGTON — Prior to President Trump’s signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 20 U.S. Catholic bishops, including Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, signed onto an interfaith effort opposing the bill. The bishops called the bill, which will enact key provisions of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda on taxes and immigration, a “moral failure.”

“In realizing the full implications of this legislation, I was deeply disturbed by the numbers of those who would lose any healthcare coverage by the cut to Medicaid, and also the treatment of refugees and immigrants in the United States,” Archbishop Rozanski said. “Our faith teaches us to have a special place in our hearts for the poor and the least among us. This bill disregards the call of Jesus in our care for the poor amongst us. The clarity of the letter in addressing these critical issues speaks to the harmful effects that will come from this legislation.”

“This (legislation) is really violating our Catholic social teaching in terms of a preferential option for the poor, welcoming the stranger in our midst, the common good, subsidiarity,” he said. “It’s a very draconian kind of a bill that seems to have little or no regard for the people that will be affected by it.”

The letter objected to allocating millions of dollars to the government’s mass deportation campaign, expressing concern that campaign would also infringe upon their houses of worship.

It also objected to “severe cuts in healthcare coverage and food assistance to millions of both low-income citizens and legal residents, including asylum-seekers and refugees.” It argued those cuts would drive them “deeper into poverty.”

“From our various faith perspectives, the moral test of a nation is how it treats those most in need of support. In our view, this legislation will harm the poor and vulnerable in our nation, to the detriment of the common good,” the letter said. “Its passage would be a moral failure for American society as a whole.”
https://www.stlouisreview.com/...-big-beautiful-bill/

Having read the letter, it's about what I thought it would be from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops which has become a very leftist group. Some would call it the US Conference of Communist Catholic Bishops as most were elevated by the leftist Pope Francis.

The problem is that government spending displaces private charity. Government is force. Unfortunately, the Church has gotten in bed with government.

Here are a few thoughts from the late great economist Walter E. Williams:

• There is no moral argument that justifies using the coercive powers of government to force one person to bear the expense of taking care of another.
  
• Government has no resources of its own…government spending is no less than the confiscation of one person’s property to give it to another to whom it does not belong.
  
• We don’t have a natural right to take the property of one person to give to another; therefore, we cannot legitimately delegate such authority to government.
  
• The act of reaching into one’s own pockets to help a fellow man in need is praiseworthy and laudable. Reaching into someone else’s pocket is despicable.

What we really need is more charity and less government. Unfortunately, we have moved in the wrong direction over the last 55+ years.

Please study the following chart:



Socialism vs. free market capitalism: the false dichotomy
The ideologies we embraced don't even begin to make sense in light of real-world evidence.

https://alexkrainer.substack.c...rue&utm_medium=email

"It’s not that free market capitalism is bad: it’s that we don’t live in free market capitalism and much of what we think we understand about “socialism” is patently wrong. The dismal science of economics has hardly evolved at all over the last century and most learned economists continue to cling to beliefs articulated in 100+ year old textbooks. We would do much better to simply articulate what we, as a community of humans actually want in life and then study systems that are most conducive to those ends. With all the information and knowledge at our disposal today, this should be doable and intellectually much more productive than conjuring insults for the members of the other tribe."

Well, what if what we really want is for government to just get out of the way?
To stop interfering, to stop taking so much of our earnings, to stop spending so much, to stop consuming and redistributing such a large portion of our GDP?

That chart says it all. Big government makes the top 1% very, very wealthy but government spending pushes out private alternatives.

The Catholic Church is going to continue to lose membership as long as it embraces open borders and big government.

The Spiritual Destruction: Christianity Declines as Government Grows


I have my own problems with the OBBB, but they are not the same as the 20 U.S. Catholic bishops. The bill is still a "big government" bill. It fails to balance the budget and continues to increase our debt burden. However, without the bill we would be facing large tax increases which is untenable to families trying to make ends meet.

Thank you for reading.
Cordially,

chellim1

^^^^^ Well done.