[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WAR ON POVERTY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Payne) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, last week, we marked the 50th anniversary of 
President Lyndon Johnson's war on poverty, which began to pave the way 
for many of the programs that provided basic human dignities that every 
American deserves.
  Fifty years ago, this Congress began to work together on a war 
against poverty. Unfortunately, today, some of my Republican colleagues 
have led a different kind of war. Instead of a war to eliminate 
poverty, it has grown into a shameful war against those living in 
poverty. These attacks are numerous, from slashing nutrition assistance 
to cutting unemployment insurance to attacking Social Security, 
Medicare, and attempting to dismantle health care.
  Fighting the war on poverty should not be a Democratic or a 
Republican idea. Not only are we all in this together, but poverty does 
not discriminate between political parties. According to the Brookings 
Institution, there are more than 21 million people living in poverty 
who live in Republican congressional districts. Equally, there are over 
21 million people living in poverty in Democratic congressional 
districts. So the burden is on both parties, equally, to recommit 
ourselves to creating solutions.
  The gap between the rich and poor is wide, and it is growing at an 
alarming rate. Nowhere is this more true than in my home State of New 
Jersey. In my district alone, the number of households at the top 1 
percent have doubled, while the poverty rate has grown to 28 percent.
  This is no way for the world's greatest country to lead. We can do 
better. And we must do better. We must return to the values that have, 
and always will, make this country great.
  We must make investments in education and job training, because how 
can a man find work if he does not have the skills to enter the 
workforce?
  We must make investments in nutrition assistance, because how can a 
child learn if he or she is too hungry to focus?
  We must make investments in health care, because how can a mother 
provide for her children if she can't afford to pay her medical bills?
  And most importantly, we must make investments in our fellow 
Americans, to provide them with the opportunities to fulfill their own 
potential.
  My colleagues focus a discouraging amount of energy on cutting the 
very safety net programs that have lifted millions out of poverty, both 
in our urban centers and our rural areas. But these programs work. 
Without our safety net programs, poverty numbers would be double.
  So although there is still much more to do, we have come a long way. 
Turning our backs on the millions of Americans living in poverty is 
simply not an option. Nothing is more important to the people I 
represent in New Jersey than having a decent job that pays a decent 
wage.
  My Republican colleagues are kidding themselves if they think these 
people are lazy or content. Believe me, no one is content living in 
poverty. No one. These people want to work. They want economic 
security. And more than anything, they want to create a better life, 
not only for themselves, but for their children, so that they can 
forever be free from the clutches of generational poverty.
  So, Mr. Speaker, we must remember that the war on poverty declared 50 
years ago is an unconditional one. As President Lyndon Baines Johnson 
said:

       Our aim is not only to relieve the symptom of poverty, but 
     to cure it and, above all, to prevent it.

  Congress must renew this commitment by extending unemployment 
insurance, strengthening Social Security and Medicare, raising the 
minimum wage, investing in education, and, above all, creating jobs.
  Let's work together so that one day we can say that we have won the 
ultimate war of our time--the war on poverty.

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