"Nuns on the Bus" take on Ryan plan
(CBS News) A group of politically active Catholic nuns rolled into Wisconsin on Tuesday to combat Republican Rep. Paul Ryan's House budget proposal - the big event on their "Nuns on the Bus" tour fighting Republican budget plans they say don't represent their Catholic values.
The sisters stopped by Ryan's office in Janesville, Wis., the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports, where they dropped off an alternative "faithful budget" proposal. Though Ryan - a Catholic - has faced criticism from multiple groups, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, for failing to consider low-income Americans in his budget that would restructure Medicare and Medicaid and dramatically cut spending programs to help the poor, the House Budget Committee chair has stood by his plan as being in accordance with his faith.
"Because of their work, Sisters see the suffering of people in poverty on a daily basis. As a result, they recognize the harm that the Ryan budget will cause," read a press release announcing the tour. Facing a Democratic Senate and opposition from President Obama, the plan has stalled since passing through the House in March.
Looking to also head into Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland, the "Nuns on the Bus" will wrap in Washington, D.C. on July 2. The tour was organized by Network, a Washington-based Catholic social justice group criticized in a recent Vatican report that said some organizations led by nuns have focused too much on economic injustice while failing to promote the church's teachings on abortion and same-sex marriage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
