Latino Leaders Fast To Protest Budget Cuts

WASHINGTON - National Latino leaders and organizations announced that they will be joining Ambassador Tony Hall in fasting, prayer and personal sacrifice to call attention to proposed budget cuts that will hurt vulnerable people.

“The Latino community would be devastated if the proposed cuts to programs benefitting the hungry and poor in America were to become law,” said Margaret Moran, LULAC National President. “Draconian cuts to Head Start, WIC, and SNAP programs are mean-spirited and unnecessary. Congress should not attempt to balance the budget on the backs of the hardest working yet lowest paid Americans.”

Moran is joined by former governor Bill Richardson, Congressman Joe Baca (D-CA), Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and Rev. Gabriel Salguero, President of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition.

“As the largest and oldest membership-based Hispanic organization in the country, the League of United Latin American Citizens stands firm in its commitment to work towards ending hunger in the U.S.,” states National Executive Director, Brent Wilkes. “Given the tough economic climate, the high rates of unemployment and the surge in the number of Latinos struggling to feed their families, these irresponsible budget cuts will be detrimental to hard-working, middle-class Hispanic families. Today I join the HungerFast movement in opposition to these proposed budget cuts -- the burden of closing the deficit should not be carried on the shoulders of the most vulnerable in society.”

The HungerFast.org movement was first announced on Monday, March 28th by Ambassador Hall who stopped eating and started fasting twenty-four days ago, challenging people of faith and conscience to join him, pledging to put pressure on Congress to form a “circle of protection” around programs benefitting poor and hungry people.

To date over 36,000 Americans, 28 Members of Congress and the leaders over 40 diverse organizations -- including Bread for the World, Sojourners, World Vision, American Jewish World Service, Islamic Relief USA, Feed America, Share Our Strength, ONE, MoveOn.org and SEIU -- have joined the HungerFast movement.