[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 1, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H226-H227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                POVERTY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, as the founder of the 
Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus, I rise today to continue talking 
about the tide of poverty sweeping across this country.
  Americans who are struggling to find work cannot wait. Americans 
whose homes are underwater cannot wait, and the nearly 50 million 
Americans who are living in poverty cannot wait.
  We must act, and we must act now to extend vital unemployment 
benefits and the temporary payroll tax reduction while our economy 
continues to recover. We should be coming together now to enact bold 
programs and policies that provide equal opportunity and equal access 
for every single American, no matter their race, no matter their 
employment status, and no matter their humble beginnings. Instead, Mr. 
Speaker, unfortunately, this Tea Party-led Congress continues to do 
nothing but distract from the real issues and waste the American 
people's time.
  The Republican caucus failed to pass a single jobs bill last year, 
and by the looks of this week's calendar, it looks like they might be 
committed to doing more of the same. This Nation cannot afford any more 
of this do-nothing Tea Party Republican House. Instead of passing a 
jobs bill, Republicans in the House today are attacking American 
families in need.
  This bill that's coming up today, H.R. 3567, is really a distasteful 
and misleading bill that tries to make it seem to like every low-income 
family is somehow criminal. Nothing could be further from the truth. 
Very few people want to qualify for welfare. They don't want to be 
distressed enough to meet these qualifications. This is the Temporary 
Assistance for Needy Families Act which is being attacked today. That's 
what it's called today. Actually, it's called TANF.
  TANF recipients are struggling through the most difficult time of 
their lives, and they want nothing more than a good job to support 
their families. This bill that's coming up again today is really a sad 
attempt to re-create the Ronald Reagan era about the Cadillac-driving 
welfare queen. It wasn't true then nor is it true today. TANF benefits 
did not pay for Cadillacs to fund lavish lifestyles.
  Mr. Speaker, as a single young mother who once relied on food stamps 
and public assistance during a very difficult period, I'm really 
appalled to see Republican politicians attack these families just 
because they are facing hard times and need a helping hand. TANF 
benefits keep children in homes and in schools. They keep American 
families from suffering abject poverty.
  What we should be doing is helping these families by creating jobs, 
by removing these obstacles and barriers, and we should be helping them 
to reignite the American Dream, not insulting them, which is what this 
bill does. This Congress should be working together to create more 
opportunity for the long-term unemployed and the millions of Americans 
suffering in poverty.
  We should at least extend unemployment benefits for the chronically 
unemployed who have hit the 99-week limit, can't apply anymore because 
they are ineligible, and we should be voting, for example, for the 
bill, which Congressman Scott of Virginia and myself have written to 
help those looking for a job and who can't find a job. We have to 
remember now that there is only one job for every four individuals 
looking for a job.

[[Page H227]]

  But, unfortunately, instead of working together to make economic 
justice a reality for every American, this Republican Tea Party will 
waste another year without a jobs bill, without extending any help to 
the millions of Americans in need, and without helping American 
retirees.
  So we should be putting our Nation before our party. Americans can't 
wait and neither should this Congress.

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