The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness stood in solidarity with Repairers of the Breach recently as the latter held a prayer and protest rally in Washington, D.C. to decry proposed budget cuts that it says would be detrimental to women, children and other marginalized people. Supporters gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 2nd for the second “Moral Witness Wednesday” by Repairers of the Breach, a faith-based, anti-poverty organization trying to keep Congress from adopting a budget that it says would weaken the social safety net while benefitting the rich.
In March, the advocacy group emphasized its concerns in a report “The High Moral Stakes of the Policy Battles Raging in Washington,” and the rally was accompanied by the release of a new appendix that says the U.S. president’s “allies in Congress are in the process of passing a budget that would take services away from women and children, tear immigrant families apart, and perpetuate war.”
“This budget is a betrayal of every sacred tradition that teaches us to care for the widow, to care for the orphan, to care for the stranger, to care for the poor,” said the Rev. Dr. Hannah Broome, director of religious affairs for Repairers of the Breach. “See, you don't need to be a Christian to hear the warning of the prophet Isaiah (10:1-2) when he says, ‘Woe to those who make unjust laws.’ You only need a conscience.”
In his remarks, Barber said the cuts would hurt several vulnerable groups, including children, older people and LGBTQIA+ persons, and called for “a movement across America.” “Now is the time that we must do whatever it requires in our nonviolent traditions,” Barber said. “If we have to sit in, let’s sit in. If we have to march, let’s march. If we have to engage in nonviolent civil, direct action and disobedience, let's do it. Our future is worth it. We must do collective action together. We will not let this democracy fail on our watch.”
“The re-launch of Moral Wednesdays by the Poor People’s Campaign and Repairers of the Breach is one way people of faith can take a stand and move their prayers to be a prophetic witness in the public square,” Cosby said. Speakers at last week's rally included John Cavanagh of the Institute for Policy Studies, a partner on the report with Repairers of the Breach and the Economic Policy Institute. The rally was followed by a march to the Capitol building, where a prayer circle was formed. (See video here.)
“As people of faith, we must pray alongside impacted communities, and our prayers must not stay inside our sanctuaries,” Cosby said. “It is vital that they move to public action, calling for a budget that protects programs, people and the planet over profits.”
For more information about Moral Witness Wednesday, go here.
Read the April 7, 2025 Presbyterian News Service article.
(Photo courtesy of the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness.)
