Ahead of Senate vote, Black Catholic bishop joins interfaith letter opposing Republicans' Big Beautiful Bill

An interfaith coalition led by a Catholic archbishop is calling on U.S. senators to vote against a controversial HR-1 budget reconciliation, also known as the “Big Beautiful Bill,” a Republican-led effort that would fund mass deportations, favor big business, and cut poverty programs.

One of the nation’s African-American Catholic prelates, Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr. of Washington, joined more than 40 Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders on the Thursday open letter calling the bill a “detriment to the common good.”

Republicans in the House of Representatives narrowly passed an earlier version of the bill in May, and the current version with Senate modifications is seen by Democrats and even some in the GOP as sorely in need of further revisions. The 940-page bill was released in full late Friday night.

“We believe that the changes made by the U.S. Senate to the legislation are insufficient and do not significantly mitigate its adverse effects,” wrote the interfaith coalition, led by Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe, a notable advocate for social welfare and government reform.

“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… Its passage would be a moral failure for American society as a whole.”

Senators are in Washington Saturday evening with a procedural vote incoming on the Big Beautiful Bill, which could move it closer to the desk of President Donald Trump, who sees it as cementing many of his policy goals.

Included in the HR-1 budget reconciliation are provisions for more than $160 billion in funding for anti-immigration measures, including enforcement, detention, the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and deportations.

Also on the table are cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food benefits, in tandem with tax cuts for high-earners, inheritances, and large business owners. The bill would also likely add trillions to the national deficit, causing even some Republicans to balk.

Well before Friday’s last-minute changes, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also spoke out on the proposed budget, though with a tone more sympathetic to conservative cases. A joint letter to the House from several episcopal committees expressed support for provisions that restrict abortion and protect school choice while criticizing those concerning taxation, poverty, the environment, and immigration. 

Though only lightly publicized, a similar open letter was sent by the bishops to the Senate on Thursday. A statement the same day from the USCCB’s president, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Military Services, called for the revisions outlined in the second letter.

“As Pope Leo XIV recently stated, it is the responsibility of politicians to promote and protect the common good, including by working to overcome great wealth inequality. This bill does not answer this call,” he said.

“I underscore what my brother bishops said in their recent letter to find a better way forward and urge Senators to think and act with courage and creativity to protect human dignity for all, to uphold the common good, and to change provisions that undermine these fundamental values.”

Senate Democrats are expected to attempt a delay on the procedural vote that could happen Saturday night, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York signaling that his caucus move to will read the voluminous bill out loud on the Senate floor before further actions are taken.

At least a half-dozen Republicans will reportedly join in voting against the reconciliation bill if it is not further revised. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota has said he would like to have the final version of the bill passed by Friday, July 4.

In May, the leading Black Catholic in Congress, a Democrat in Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat of New York, lamented the passage of the House version of the bill, which he called a “GOP tax scam.”

The only winners following the [passage of] Trump's 'Big Ugly Bill' are the billionaire donors who will get massive new tax breaks and big corporations that already pay next to nothing in taxes. This disastrous bill includes devastating cuts to health care and food assistance, taking vital funding from the American people,” said Espaillat. 

“These cuts are a matter of life and death. If this bill becomes law, people will die from lack of food, from lack of health care, and from lack of housing. This bill fails to uphold the values of our nation.”

Democratic Rep. Gabe Amo of Rhode Island, responding to the newest version of the budget reconciliation on Saturday evening, said Senate Republicans' changes have only amplified its flaws.

“We already knew the big, ugly bill was bad, but the Congressional Budget Office confirms last minute, backdoor trading has made it even WORSE,” he wrote on social media.

“Cuts $930 BILLION from Medicaid: Making Americans poorer and sicker. While giving billionaires even more wealth.”

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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