[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 13 (Monday, January 28, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E81]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS A MORAL 
     RESPONSIBILITY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE PERSONS, GROUPS AND 
   COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IMPOVERISHED, DISADVANTAGED OR OTHERWISE IN 
                                POVERTY

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                               speech of

                             HON. AL GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 22, 2008

  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I express my strong support for 
H. Con. Res. 198, a resolution expressing the sense of Congress that 
the United States has a moral responsibility to meet the needs of those 
who are disadvantaged or impoverished and that our country should set a 
national goal of cutting poverty in half over the next 10 years by 
promoting good jobs at livable wages.
  In this land of hope and opportunity, all working families should 
also be able to rely on the product of their labor to feed, clothe, 
house and provide health care for their families. Unfortunately, all 
too many working Americans are unable to do so. Today, 35 million 
Americans will go to sleep hungry. Thirty-seven million Americans still 
live in poverty and 47 million Americans are without health insurance. 
In my home state of Texas, 16,000 brave men and women who have served 
nobly in our Nation's military go homeless every night.
  These statistics are unbecoming of the wealthiest Nation in the 
history of our planet. As a Nation, we must undertake all efforts 
necessary to end the scourge of poverty. One of the best ways to move 
forward in this effort is to promote good jobs and to ensure that all 
jobs pay livable wages.
  Congress made great progress last year by passing a long-overdue 
increase in the minimum wage and providing that it will increase to 
$7.25 per hour next year. A full-time job should be a bridge out of 
poverty, an opportunity to make a living through work. Unfortunately, 
for many Americans, especially those with families, it is not.
  In our great country, it is unacceptable that poverty continues to 
devastate the lives of tens of millions of our fellow Americans. For 
this reason, I strongly support this resolution and believe that 
Congress must continue working to make the principles expressed in the 
resolution a reality. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this important 
resolution and I commend my good friend and colleague, Ms. Barbara Lee 
of California, for introducing the resolution.

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