Boehner's support for budget cuts to Medicare, Medicaid draws criticism from Catholic U. faculty

Just days before House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, is scheduled to give the Catholic University's commencement address, a group of its faculty members criticized elements of the GOP's 2012 budget plan.

The New York Times: Critical Letter By Catholics Cites Boehner On Policies
The letter writers criticize Mr. Boehner's support for a budget that cut financing for Medicare, Medicaid and the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, while granting tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations. They call such policies "anti-life," a particularly biting reference because the phrase is usually applied to politicians and others who support the right to abortion (Goodstein, 5/11).

The Washington Post: Catholic Faculty Question Boehner's Record On Poor Before Commencement Address
The letter does not protest Boehner's visit or ask the school to rescind its invitation, but urges him to "reawaken your familiarity" with church teaching on the subject of poverty. It focuses on the 2012 budget Boehner is shepherding, criticizing it for cuts that would hurt the poor and are "particularly cruel to pregnant women and children" (Boorstein, 5/11).