April 11, 2025

Overview: The House of Representatives approved a budget  resolution yesterday. Now Republicans on both sides of Congress will work out a common reconciliation bill, which means conservative and moderate members of the party have to come to agreement concerning allocations, spending cuts and tax cuts. Congress will be on Easter recess for the next two weeks. Washington Weekly will return May 2.

CCUSA hosted more than 85 executive directors from local Catholic Charities agencies this week for a Hill Day, which included addresses from members of Congress, comments from Appropriations staff, and visits to congressional offices. The diocesan directors asked their members of Congress to protect vital non-discretionary programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and TANF; to protect domestic discretionary programs that provide services like food, shelter, workforce, and childcare; and to prioritize low-income families in the tax code by enhancing the Child Tax Credit, Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit.

Call to action: As members of Congress go back to their local districts, now is a good time for constituents to contact them close to home and to urge them to protect the safety net that provides a  vital lifeline for nearly 80 million low-income families, mothers, children, elderly, disabled individuals, the unhoused, and working people across our nation. Specifically, you can reach out to your members of Congress asking them to protect and strengthen programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC that help the most vulnerable in our society. (See also the attached list of town hall meetings that are scheduled through April 16, 2025.)

Economy: In the week ending April 5, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 223,000, an increase of 4,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 219,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,000, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised average of 223,000.

Town halls: We have attached to this message a list of upcoming town hall meetings hosted by members of Congress. This is a great way to have your voice heard. Please reach out to your member for more details. You can use CCUSA's "Find Your Elected Officials" tool.

Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:6-11

Q. This Sunday is Palm Sunday. What do the palms symbolize?

Please send your answers to [email protected]. 

Previous question and answer:

Q. Why are crucifixes and statues in churches covered from the Fifth Sunday of Lent until the beginning of the Easter Vigil?

A. From the fifth Sunday of Lent until the beginning of the Easter Vigil, Catholic churches veil crucifixes, statues, and other religious images so as to awaken our senses and focus on words from the Gospel. We might also view this as a symbol of our terrestrial life and the veiled world in which we live, in exile from our true home, which is unveiled to us only through death.

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