US Bishops have raised concerns about pro-abortion elements in the proposed Build Back Better legislation.

As the US House of Representatives prepares to consider the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act, six bishop chairmen of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have written a letter to Congress on the legislation.

In the letter, the bishops outline their support for provisions within the Build Back Better Act that would strengthen the social safety net, support workers and families, increase affordable housing, provide affordable healthcare coverage, and protect the environment. They also ask Congress to include provisions in the bill that would provide for the full integration of undocumented persons into American society by legalizing their status and providing them with a pathway to citizenship.

At the same time, the bishops express concerns, including with provisions that could effectively exclude faith-based providers from childcare and pre-K programs, and they insist that the fundamental problem of expanded taxpayer funding of abortion in the Build Back Better Act must be remedied before the bill moves forward.

The full letter to Congress is available here.

Bishop chairmen signing the letter included: Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development; Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chairman of the Committee on Migration; Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty; Bishop Michael C. Barber, S.J., of Oakland, chairman of the Committee on Catholic Education; and Bishop David A. Konderla of Tulsa, chairman of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage.

Prior to this letter, USCCB chairmen sent the following letters to Congress on infrastructure and budget reconciliation legislation:

• Letter to Congress Concerning Legislation on Infrastructure, April 22, 2021
• Letter to Congress on Federal Budget Reconciliation, September 7, 2021
• Letter to the Committee on Energy and Commerce on Abortion Funding, September 13, 2021
• Letter to Congressional Leadership on Legalization of the Undocumented, September 23, 2021