Earlier this morning, religious leaders and anti-poverty advocates announced that they will begin fasting to protest budget cuts that they argue “balance the budget on the backs of poor people.” Progressive evangelical leader Jim Wallis and David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, joined former Democratic congressman Tony Hall in calling on others to join them in the fast and on Congress to restore funding for hunger programs and other anti-poverty initiatives.
When he served as a congressman from Ohio in the 1990s, Tony Hall fasted for 22 days in response to budget cuts and the elimination of the House Select Committee on Hunger. At the time, the committee had a nominal budget and no power to appropriate or authorize funds–its termination was trumpeted as a budget-cutting measure but had virtually no practical effect except to eliminate a congressional body focused on the issue of mass hunger.
To read more: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2011/03/28/religious-leaders-launch-fast-to-protest-budget-cuts/
