Last month Forbes reported that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sued the Trump administration and alleges that the administration suspended funding illegally for the conference’s refugee resettlement programs. The USCCB stated that funding freeze forced a lay off 50 employees.Scott Bomboy, of the National Constitution Center, blogged: “Can a president refuse to spend funds approved by Congress?” Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution cites Congress [has] the power of the purse to approve spending in the federal budget in the Appropriations Clause, which reads in part, “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” The Constitution then delegates to the president the task of spending approved funds in the Take Care Clause, which requires the chief executive “shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” Put differently, congressional funding is a ceiling, not a floor.When I served on my first tour in Iraq, one of my duties was non-governmental organization (NGO) liaison. My mission was to identity humanitarian need in the division’s battle space and coordinate NGO activities toward the greatest necessity. Within a short time I concluded that many NGOs are fronts for groups with political agendas, usually Marxist. Moreover, helping others can be a lucrative endeavor. Nice work, if you can get it: payscale.com/ reports that the average salary for a CEO at Catholic Charities USA approximately ranges from $172,000 to $238,000 per year. Other available gigs: director of public policy, $86,000-$154,000; senior technical adviser, $71,000 to $150,000.In contrast, the president of Catholic Charities USA, the Rev. Fred Kammer, since he is an ordained priest who has taken a vow of poverty, is “only” paid $95,000, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy magazine.But wait, that’s not all. Catholic Relief Services President Sean Callahan earns $597,000. The executive VP, strategy, tech & communications director, Annemarie Reilly, hauls in $356,000. And $352,000 is drawn in by Schuyler Thorup, the executive VP, overseas operations.Also, from Forbes, Sara Dorn reports, “These are the top USAID [U,S, Agency for International Development] recipients — from religious groups to major U.S. companies.” Catholic Relief Services received the largest portion of USAID funding for fiscal Years 2013-22 to the tune of $4.6 billion.And in other liaisons with the USAID, “USAID paid for meals that went to Syrian terrorists” is the headline for an article by Stephen Dinan of The Washington Times on Nov. 22, 2024. Americans paid $10 million for MRE meals that went to al Qaeda- affiliated terrorists in Syria, federal prosecutors revealed in announcing charges against the nongovernmental organization employee who they say was responsible for the diversion. Court documents didn’t name the NGO but listed the federal grant numbers involved. Those grants were traced back to Catholic Relief Services.Coincidentally, officials at the USAID have begun large-scale destruction of classified documents at their headquarters with shredders and “burn bags,” according to an internal email seen by the Guardian.If an NGO receives the lion’s share of its funds from the taxpayer, isn’t it a government agency by proxy?  Catholics for Catholics Publications released a book by Christopher Manion, PhD, “Charity for Sale: Has the American Catholic Church Become just another NGO?” Manion’s thesis is Notre Dame played a key role in the church’s decline, trading its Catholic identity for an elite but secular status. Other universities quickly followed, and the USCCB went along. Generous taxpayer support, silence on the church’s magisterial teaching, and the rise of “social justice” as a convenient substitute for the magisterium.It has become more and more difficult to discern: Is the West enduring massive immigration, legal and or otherwise or a facilitated invasion? Is it really charity if contributions are involuntary seized and directed to a cause I oppose? It is up to us, the parishioners go beyond, pray, pay and obey. I implore our church leadership to disengage from the acceptance of taxpayer-funded benevolence. Jerry HeckOakleyThe post Tax-funded benevolence appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less