JUST ENGAGE

Peace and Security in Israel: “If I forget thee O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy”

Israel’s security is of utmost importance to the organized Jewish community, as are efforts towards building peace between Israel and her neighbors. The President’s budget includes $2.55 billion in aid to Israel as well as $30 billion in defense assistance over the next 10 years. The budget also provides approximately $75 million for the Palestinian people to promote good governance and invest in education and public health, important building blocks to a prosperous and peaceful society.

Social and Economic Justice: “There Shall be no Needy Among You” (Deuteronomy 15:4)

JCPA’s anti-poverty campaign strives toward Deuteronomy’s mandate, “There Shall Be No Needy Among You.”. To that end, JCPA has been vigorous in advocating for a budget that maintains fiscal discipline, while pushing forward a dialogue on national priorities that will strengthen our collective commitment to promote the common good and protect the most vulnerable in our society. Unfortunately, the administration’s budget takes a big step backwards in this regard. Under the President's budget:

• One million low-income seniors, families and people with disabilities would be cut from the low-income home energy assistance program (LIHEAP), which helps them heat their homes in the winter.
• 200,000 fewer children in low-income families would receive federal child care assistance in 2009 than in 2007, a program that is critical in allowing single-parents and low-income families to work; and
• 100,000 fewer low-income households would receive rental voucher assistance in a year where the nation’s housing crisis has been exacerbated by the subprime mortgage troubles.

Environmental Stewardship: “When God created the first human beings, God led them around the Garden of Eden and said: “Look at my works! See how beautiful they are—how excellent! For your sake I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.” (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah, 1 on Ecclesiastes 7:13)

The Jewish community has long been active in the environmental movement and advanced principles of sustainability, responsibility and stewardship. Unfortunately, the administration’s budget request drastically cuts funding for the government body responsible for enforcing those principles. The budget would reduce funding for the Environmental Protection Agency by $330 million, before adjusting for inflation. EPA funding in 2009 would fall more than $1 billion below the 2004 level (and $700 million below the 2001 level) before any adjustment for inflation.

Health and Well-Being: “A person should see to it that the body is kept healthy and strong in order that they may be upright to know G-d. For it is impossible to understand and comprehend wisdom when one is hungry and ailing or if one’s limbs ache.” (Hilchot Deot, Maimonides 3:3)

Driven by the mandate to care for vulnerable populations, the Jewish community has organized social service networks that offer care and support for more than one million of the most vulnerable people in our nation. This network is supported by programs such as Medicaid and Medicare that insure millions of Americans and help the Jewish federated system to provide critical services. Unfortunately, healthcare is one of the biggest casualties in the President’s budget, which jeopardizesthe coverage of children, the elderly and low-income families at a time when more and more Americans are joining the ranks of the uninsured. The budget does not provide enough funding to allow states to maintain their current SCHIP programs and shifts billions of dollars in Medicaid expenditures to the states at a time when many states are cutting healthcare programs due to budget shortfalls. The administration also requests over half a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare over the next decade even as the baby boomers are approaching retirement.

When we break down the concept of a budget, what it really boils down to is priorities. We support funding for things that we value, and we cut funding for things we find less valuable. The President’s budget is just the first step. Now, Congress will begin the process of drafting its own budget resolution that will set the general outline for revenues and spending in FY2009. Please join JCPA as we advocate for a budget that reflects Jewish communal priorities such as security and peace for Israel, social and economic justice, environmental stewardship and the health and well-being of all Americans.