[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 27, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H9568-H9569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE BLACK CAUCUS AGENDA TO FIGHT THE DEATH OF ENTITLEMENTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York [Mr. Owens] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, last weekend, from September 20 to 23, the 
Congressional Black Caucus held its annual legislative weekend 
conference. More than 20,000 people participated in the various 
activities of the Congressional Black Caucus' annual legislative 
conference. It was our 25th anniversary.
  I think it was a clear indication to all who are concerned that the 
Congressional Black Caucus is still very much alive and a very potent 
force in the politics of this Nation. Some 20,000 people came to 
various activities, including workshops on major issues like education, 
transportation, health, et cetera. We reaffirmed a clear Congressional 
Black Caucus agenda. We call it the Congressional Black Caucus and the 
Caring Majority Agenda, because it includes so many more people than 
people who are black. The overwhelming majority of Americans agree with 
the agenda that we set forth.
  We started this agenda when we offered the Congressional Black Caucus 
alternative budget on the floor of the House, and we continue the 
fight. Today and tomorrow we particularly want to emphasize the fact 
that we are very upset about the death of the welfare entitlement, the 
death of the entitlement for poor people in need of assistance. The 
entitlement is on its last breath, its last gasp, almost. The Senate 
has agreed to end the entitlement, and the House has previously agreed 
to end the entitlement. We are afraid the President will not veto this 
end of entitlements that have existed since Franklin Roosevelt created 
Social Security.
  We are going to particularly focus on that. In fact, we are going to 
wear black arm bands tomorrow to mourn the death of entitlements, the 
entitlements related to assistance to the poor. That is just the 
beginning. We understand that on the table now, everybody should know 
that on the table now is a proposal to kill the entitlement for 
Medicaid. We have almost killed the entitlement for assistance to poor 
people. We have set a precedent, so now we are going to go on to kill 
the entitlement for Medicaid, which means that many fewer people will 
be eligible for assistance with health care than were eligible last 
year, when we were talking about moving toward universal health care.
  We have an agenda. We want to fight this. We want to fight the death 
of entitlements. We want to fight aggressive racist attacks in all 
forms. The Congressional Black Caucus has pledged to continue the fight 
against the attacks on affirmative action, we are pledged to continue 
the fight against school desegregation, set-asides, and the Voting 
Rights Act. We want to fight for education as a national priority. The 
CBC alternative budget demanded a 25-percent increase in funding for 
education. President Clinton has also proposed a large increase for 
education. We want to fight for this increase. We do not want the 
President to lose sight of this priority.
  We want to fight to stop all of the cuts in Medicaid as well as 
Medicare. This Nation needs a national health insurance program with 
universal coverage. We should not take a step backward and end the 
entitlement for Medicaid. We want to fight to increase the minimum 
wage, to guarantee the right to organize unions, to end the striker 
replacement activities, and to maintain safe and healthy conditions in 
the workplace.

                              {time}  2015

  We want to fight to balance the Nation's tax burden by lowering taxes 
on 

[[Page H 9569]]
families and individuals, while forcing corporations to pay their fair 
share of the taxes. At present, corporations cover only 11 percent of 
the tax burden, while individuals and families shoulder 44 percent of 
the tax load. We want to fight this injustice and balance the tax 
burden. Mr. Speaker, if we want to balance the budget, first balance 
the tax burden and relieve individuals from high taxes while we raise 
the burden on corporations up to a more reasonable level.
  Mr. Speaker, we want to fight for an increase in foreign aid to 
Africa, the Caribbean, Haiti, and other third world countries to assist 
with vital health and education needs. During this weekend we passed a 
specific resolution related to education.
  Mr. Speaker, I am the chairman of the Education Brain Trust of the 
Congressional Black Caucus and the National Commission for African-
American Education, along with the Congressional Black Caucus Brain 
Trust Assembly, and those organizations declared their full support for 
the organization of a National Education Funding Support day on 
Wednesday, November 15, 1995, during open school week. Just about 6 
weeks from now, during open school week on November 15, 1995, we would 
like for people to come out in large numbers.
  We want all of the community groups, senior citizens, businesses, all 
kinds of people, churches, unions, to mobilize and bring people out on 
the morning of November 15, to the nearest public school. Everybody 
come out to the nearest public school to show that in America, there is 
overwhelming support for education, that there is overwhelming support 
from all walks of life, and we want to reaffirm this on November 15, 
during open school week. So please come out and participate. This is a 
particular and specific outcome of the Congressional Black Caucus 
weekend and we would like the support of every individual across the 
Nation.

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