[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 206 (Thursday, December 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S7205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO ROBERT GREENSTEIN

 Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Robert 
Greenstein, founder and president of the Center on Budget and Policy 
Priorities, for his work over nearly four decades, fighting for a more 
just and equal society.
  Bob founded CBPP in 1981 to push for policies that expand opportunity 
for the lowest income children and families, and ensure that this 
country's prosperity is shared with the workers who create it, not just 
the wealthiest CEOs and the largest corporations. He built CBPP from 
the ground up and transformed it from a tiny organization with a 
shoestring budget to one of the most influential policy shapers in the 
country.
  Under Bob's leadership, CBPP combined in-depth analysis and research 
with clear-headed strategy to drive the debate and deliver results. We 
worked together to spearhead efforts to permanently expand the earned 
income tax credit and child tax credit in 2015, and Bob was vital to 
our success. It is probably the most important thing we have done to 
life people out of poverty in the last 25 years, and it could not have 
happened without Bob's leadership on this issue, stretching back 
decades.
  Of course it is not only tax credits; from passing the Affordable 
Care Act to strengthening SNAP, from protecting and expanding Medicaid, 
to fighting for more affordable housing, Bob's work at CBPP has meant 
that millions of ordinary Americans have more food on the table, more 
money in their pockets, and a little more economic security. Over his 
career he has touched so many lives, and he has so much to be proud of.
  We know we have a lot more work to do, and while Bob has earned his 
retirement, I have faith that he will continue to be a force for the 
progressive change that our country needs.

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