The president of Catholic Charities USA urged the Trump administration to "rethink" its pause on federal funding for grants and loans to nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), noting the "millions of Americans who rely on this life-giving support."
On Monday, the acting head of the Office of Management and Budget, which oversees the federal budget, said all federal grants and loans would be put on hold while the administration reviews them to ensure they are aligned with President Donald Trump's priorities, including executive orders he signed last week ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the funding freeze while administration officials conduct an across-the-board ideological review to uproot progressive initiatives.
Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson then issued a statement regarding freezing federal aid to NGOs, typically nonprofits.
"Last year, 92 percent of the services provided by the 168 independent Catholic Charities agencies around the country covered basic needs — access to food, housing, healthcare, and other necessities — for families and individuals struggling to get by," Robinson said in her statement.
"These vital services include food pantries for those who can't afford groceries, child care programs for low-income families, meal deliveries for homebound seniors, job training resources for veterans, temporary and permanent housing, mental health services, and much more. The millions of Americans who rely on this life-giving support will suffer due to the unprecedented effort to freeze federal aid supporting these programs."
Robinson added, "The people who will lose access to crucial care are our neighbors and family members."
"They live in every corner of the country and represent all races, religions, and political affiliations," she said.
The National Conference of Catholic Charities was founded in 1910 as "the attorney for the poor." The organization was renamed CCUSA in 1986.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops formally asked the organization in 1990 to coordinate domestic disaster response efforts on behalf of the Catholic Church in the U.S.
CCUSA currently is comprised of 168 diocesan Catholic Charities agencies serving millions of people each year. It works to provide affordable housing, food and nutrition, and disaster relief as well as supporting health, workforce development, and immigration services, Catholic News Agency reported.
"For more than a century, the Catholic Charities network has worked with the government to care for poor and vulnerable people in every community in the U.S., and we continue to be eager to work with government to care for our neighbors in need," Robinson said. "We strongly urge the administration to rethink this decision."
Reuters contributes to this story.