[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 78 (Friday, May 31, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H5756-H5757]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     IN SUPPORT OF THE CHILDREN'S DEFENSE FUND: STAND FOR CHILDREN

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the 
Children's Defense Fund's Stand for Children, which took place at the 
Lincoln Memorial on Saturday. I stand with Marian Wright Edelman, the 
Children's Defense Fund, and all of the American families and children 
rallied. According to a recent report released last month by the 
Department of Health and Human Services, the percentage of children in 
extreme poverty--with a family income less than half the official 
poverty level--has doubled since 1975; it now stands at 10 percent or 
6.3 million children. One in every five children in the United States 
live in poverty. On a typical day in the United States, 8,490 children 
are reported abused or neglected and 3 die of that abuse. Every day an 
average of 790 babies are born underweight, 2,660 are born into 
families whose income falls below Federal poverty levels and 3,398 are 
born to unmarried mothers. In 1992, there were 850,000 substantiated 
cases of child abuse or neglect, while the homicide rate for teens more 
than doubled between 1970 and 1992.
  What will the future hold, if a generation of young people are being 
raised without guidance, in poverty, and in fear of crime? What have we 
done in Congress to support and stand for children? We must focus on 
devoting Federal resources for education and crime prevention.
  A recent Time/CNN Poll found that 73 percent of those polled favored 
having more of their tax dollars go to programs that benefit the young. 
However, the majority in Congress have been attempting to cut programs 
targeted for children.
  We speak so often in this House about family values and protecting 
children. At the same time however, my colleagues on the other side of 
the aisle, recently presented a budget package that will effectively 
eliminate the Federal guarantee of assistance for poor children in this 
country for the first time in 60 years.
  The majority's plan is antifamily and anti-child. It calls for 
unprecedented cuts in programs serving children and would remove the 
basic protections for hungry, abused, disabled, and poor children while 
using the savings to offset tax breaks for wealthy individuals.
  The Republican plan folds 20 separate child protection programs into 
two block grants at a time when GAO and others report current resources 
are failing to keep pace with the needs of a national child protection 
system in crisis. Under this plan, funds could be inadequate to respond 
to rapidly increasing reports of abuse and neglect, and insufficient to 
protect abused children and find them safe, loving and permanent 
adoptive homes. The plan potentially guts accountability for State 
child protection systems, over 20 of which are operating under court 
mandates for failing to provide adequate service to abused 
and neglected children.

  The Republican budget assumes a more strict definition of disability 
for children and the creation of a two-tiered system of benefits for 
children. Eligible children who require personal care assistance and 
who, without such assistance, would require specialized care outside 
the home receive 100 percent of the Federal SSI benefit. However, 
children with disabilities who do not meet this personal care 
assistance test receive 75 percent of the SSI benefit amount. This 
system could result in a large majority of disabled children having 
their benefits reduced--children with disabilities such as cerebral 
palsy, Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, and AIDS.
  The Republican plan would also deny most Federal, State, and local 
benefits, including school lunch, to illegal aliens and would deny SSI 
and food stamps to legal aliens until they become citizens.
  The Republican budget fails to provide adequate resources for work 
programs and child care which are critical to effectuate a transition 
from welfare to work. The Republican plan significantly increases the 
need for child care while reducing the resources for child care 
services as well as the funds available to States to improve the 
quality of care.
  This strategy of welfare-to-work is doomed to fail. Mandatory 
welfare-to-work programs can get parents off welfare and into jobs, but 
only if the program is well designated and is given the resources to be 
successful. The GOP plan is punitive and wrong-headed. It will not put 
people to work, it will put them on the street. Any restructuring of 
the welfare system must move people away from dependency toward self-
sufficiency. Facilitating the transition off welfare requires job 
training, guaranteed child care, and health insurance at an affordable 
price.
  We cannot expect to reduce our welfare rolls if we do not provide the 
women of this Nation the opportunity to better themselves and their 
families through job training and education, if we do not provide them 
with good quality child care and most importantly if we do not provide 
them with a job.
  Together, welfare programs make up the safety net that poor children 
and their families rely on in times of need. We must not allow the 
safety net to be shredded. We must keep our promises to the children of 
this Nation. We must ensure that in times of need they receive the 
health care, food and general services they need to survive.
  The Republican budget resolution also proposes to cut the earned 
income tax credit [EITC] by $20 billion over the next 7 years. This cut 
includes eliminating the EITC for childless workers as well as families 
with children who have modest incomes. In fact, over 6 million families 
with children could receive a reduction in their EITC.

[[Page H5757]]

  This program was designed to assist the working poor of America who 
the Republicans argue that in exchange for losing the earned income tax 
credit, many low-income families would receive the $500 per child tax 
credit. The fact of the matter, however, is that the children's tax 
credit will not benefit 34 percent of the Nation's children because 
they live in families that are ineligible because their income is too 
low.
  Stand for Children was a national day for all of us to demonstrate a 
commitment to children, to celebrate our future, and to work together 
for community renewal. I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to continue to support this very important effort.

                          ____________________