[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 132 (Thursday, September 8, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H5974]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRESSIONAL OUT OF POVERTY CAUCUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as one of the founding cochairs of 
the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus to, once again, bring to light 
an issue that we have swept under the rug for far too long: The fact 
that millions of children, families and adults are living in poverty in 
America.
  Last month, the Annie Casey Foundation released its KIDS COUNT Data 
Book, which includes state-by-state rankings and data on child well-
being in the United States.
  It's a tragedy, Mr. Speaker, that this report reveals that the child 
poverty rate increased 18 percent from 2000 to 2009. Eighteen percent. 
Every gain in the fight against child poverty across America in the 
1990s was lost from the year 2000 to 2009.
  We now have 2.4 million more children across America living below the 
Federal poverty line. It's a moral outrage that, in this prosperous 
country, so many of our children are suffering, and we know that the 
impact is far worse in communities of color.
  While the national child poverty rate is a staggering 20 percent, 
when we break it down, we find some tragic and heart-wrenching numbers. 
The child poverty rate for non-Hispanic White children is 12 percent. 
For African American children it's 36 percent. For American Indian and 
Alaska Native children, it's 35 percent. For Hispanic and Latino 
children, it's 31 percent. And for Asian American and Pacific 
Islanders, the rate is 13 percent. But among Southeast Asian American 
children, the poverty rate is 22 percent.
  These statistics, these children, this childhood poverty rate, this 
is unacceptable. This data confirms what we've seen in our communities 
all along--the irresponsible fiscal policies of the prior 
administration plunged working families, especially those in 
communities of color, into poverty.
  This report also reveals the impact of the Great Recession on 
children and their families. Nearly 8 million children lived with at 
least one parent who was actively seeking employment but was unemployed 
in 2010. This is double the number in 2007, just 3 years earlier.
  That's why I again call upon the Speaker to bring my legislation and 
Congressman Scott's legislation, H.R. 589, to the floor for an up-or-
down vote immediately, to help millions of children with job-seeking 
parents to get out of poverty.
  We have 13.9 million people out of work, 6.2 million of whom are 
long-term unemployed. Worse yet, these numbers do not include those 
people across this country who have given up on trying to get a job or 
those who are unemployed.
  And communities of color continue to carry the burden of higher 
unemployment rates than the national average of 9.1 percent. African 
Americans have an unemployment rate of 16.7 percent, and Latinos an 
unemployment rate of 11.3 percent. So the legislation I referenced 
increases unemployment compensation by 14 weeks for what we call the 
99ers.
  Our Nation has a job crisis, and this is a national emergency 
requiring significant investment in the programs and projects that not 
only better our country but put Americans back to work. That's why the 
cochairs of the Out of Poverty Caucus, Congressman Joe Baca, 
Congressman Butterfield, Congressmen Conyers and Mike Honda, we sent a 
letter to the President asking him to create a big and bold jobs plan 
that will address the needs of workers and those seeking work across 
this country. This will result in helping our economy, our communities, 
and our Nation's children.
  While we believe that the investment could and should take many 
forms, we urge President Obama to include key programs and proposals 
that will support low income people and grow our economy: Restoring 
TANF; maintaining the emergency extension of unemployment insurance 
benefits, extend these benefits by 14 weeks; expand targeted Federal 
on-the-job training programs; expand Federal programs that support, 
train and focus on youth; initiate a work-sharing program that would 
subsidize wages at firms that manage to substitute shorter hours for 
layoffs.
  We look to President Obama to present a bold package of direct 
investment which is aimed at our Nation's most vulnerable, those facing 
or living in poverty.
  And most importantly, we look to the Republican majority to stop 
obstructing Democratic efforts to put people back to work. I urge the 
Republicans to end their ``no jobs'' agenda that makes it easier for 
corporations to send American jobs overseas, protects tax breaks for 
Big Oil, and ends Medicare. I hope they know that to make it in 
America, we must Make It In America.

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