[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4546-S4547]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                      TRIBUTE TO ELLEN NISSENBAUM

 Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Ellen 
Nissenbaum, senior adviser and senior member of the government affairs 
team at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, for her 
extraordinary leadership towards meeting the needs of people with low 
incomes.
  On July 24, the Coalition on Human Needs will honor Ms. Nissenbaum 
with its 2024 Human Needs Hero award. For over 40 years, Ellen 
Nissenbaum has been a tireless and effective advocate, protecting and 
advancing Federal programs to improve health and reduce hunger and 
poverty.
  In 1984, Ms. Nissenbaum testified on behalf of the formerly named 
Coalition on Block Grants and Human Needs before the Senate Committee 
on Agriculture, chaired then by Senator Jesse Helms, to oppose a bill 
allowing States to opt into a block grant to replace the Federal Food 
Stamp program. Then and now, she stood firmly for the responsibility of 
the Federal Government to ensure that the basic needs of Americans are 
met, wherever they live, protected from discrimination based on race, 
ethnicity, disability, or poverty.
  Ms. Nissenbaum was part of the initial staff of seven at the Center 
on Budget and Policy Priorities at its formation in 1984 and has been 
an essential leader in the decades since. She is a master of the 
complexities of the Federal budget process, providing respected and 
reliable information to Members of Congress and human needs advocates 
alike about the impact of Federal proposals on the health and well-
being of people with low incomes.
  Over the decades, Ms. Nissenbaum has educated Congress and human 
needs advocates about the need for strong Medicaid, SNAP, and low-
income tax credit programs and has played a truly significant role in 
expanding benefits for those most in need. Millions of Americans, young 
and old alike, have been helped because of Ellen Nissenbaum's work. I 
am proud of the opportunities I have had to work with her to secure 
major advances in the child tax credit and to protect against efforts 
to reduce benefits in Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs.
  Ms. Nissenbaum is a stellar educator of policymakers and advocates, 
speaking regularly to faith and civil rights groups and those 
advocating to improve health and reduce poverty, hunger, and inequality 
in this Nation. She has been a very effective member of the board of 
the Coalition on Human Needs for decades and is a regular speaker at 
its weekly meetings of advocates.
  Members of Congress, the executive branch, and advocates alike all 
know that Ellen Nissenbaum's command of facts and analysis of policy 
options is utterly reliable. She is respected by all because of her 
rigorous, fact-based approach.
  All of Ellen Nissenbaum's work is grounded in her devotion to 
reducing inequality. She recognizes that the growing concentration of 
wealth and income, unfairly undertaxed, prevents our Nation from making 
the investments needed to ensure that no one is denied health coverage 
or is too poor to afford nutritious food.
  Over the years, Ms. Nissenbaum has addressed organizations 
representing diverse faiths, helping them to advocate effectively to 
demand a strong Federal role in reducing poverty. She has been a 
mainstay of the Coalition on Human Needs' strong efforts to lift up the 
needs of the poor, people of color, immigrants, children, the aging, 
and people with disabilities in Federal budget and tax decision-making. 
It is my honor and privilege to recognize Ellen Nissenbaum today for 
her unflagging commitment and effectiveness and to celebrate her 
receiving the Coalition on Human Needs' 2024 Human Needs Hero 
award.

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