[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H32]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WAR ON POVERTY

  (Ms. LEE of California asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, as cochair of the Congressional 
Black Caucus' Taskforce on Poverty and the Economy and chair of the 
Democratic whip's Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality, and 
Opportunity, I join my colleagues today in marking President Lyndon 
Baines Johnson's 1964 State of the Union address.
  Fifty years ago, President Johnson boldly declared an unconditional 
war on poverty. For the next 50 days, Members will be giving 50 
speeches on the floor in continuing this war for economic justice.
  I am so pleased and honored that President and Lady Bird Johnson's 
eldest daughter, Mrs. Lynda Johnson Robb, accepted our invitation to 
join us here today. She is here in the gallery. I just want to say to 
her that she exemplifies President and Mrs. Johnson's commitment and 
the leadership required to fight poverty and build a great society. She 
visited Appalachia with her daddy, as she told us earlier, and reminded 
us today that this was a bipartisan and bicameral effort requiring 
leadership from the White House.
  President Johnson's war on poverty created critical antipoverty 
programs such as Head Start, Job Corps, food stamps, Medicare, 
Medicaid, and Social Security.
  As President Johnson said 50 years ago:

       It will not be a short or easy struggle, no single weapon 
     or strategy will suffice, but we shall not rest until the war 
     is won.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Poe of Texas). Members are reminded not 
to refer to attendees in the gallery.

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