A group of Roman Catholic nuns is set to leave Des Moines on a two-week bus tour of nine states to protest Republican federal budget proposals that the group believes hurt the poor and vulnerable.

The Nuns on the Bus tour departs Monday and is scheduled to finish in Washington, D.C., on July 2.

The nuns will visit Catholic-sponsored social service agencies and the offices of Republican members of Congress including Steve King's office in Ames, House Speaker John Boehner's office in Chester, Ohio, and Rep. Eric Cantor's office in Richmond, Va.

Organizer Sister Simone Campbell says the tour is not a response to the Vatican's recent criticism of nuns as being too outspoken on social issues. Network, a Catholic social justice lobby founded by sisters, is sponsoring the tour.