[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 20234]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                POVERTY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that 
the Congressional Black Caucus has decided to discuss poverty.
  I am a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 234 and would like to see the 
President present a plan to eradicate poverty by 2010.
  Hurricane Katrina devastated the lives of people who were already 
living well under the poverty level. I have concerns with the slow 
response and weak leadership of the Federal and State agencies. I have 
concerns that many of the affected States have Medicaid-eligibility 
criteria that are too harsh. I have concerns about our overcrowded and 
underfunded safety net hospitals.
  I have concerns that since our current President took office there 
are 5.4 million more people in poverty, 6 million more without health 
insurance, and the median income is down more than $1,600 a year.

                              {time}  1615

  As relates to these statistics, the most affected State is the home 
State of the President, Texas. What we saw on television during the 
hurricane was the face of poverty. People with resources left early. 
Only ones with the least resources had to depend on their government 
for a safety net. The safety net had holes that need repair. Denying 
minimum wage to help with the cleanup and the Halliburton Company in 
charge, opportunities are dismal. Only the President can correct this.
  We still are being asked, was it racism? My response to the question: 
It is the face of poverty U.S.A. Was it racism? You answer the 
question. If it was, it did not start with Katrina. We need measures to 
eradicate poverty. Mr. President, let us not continue the trends of the 
rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. As we move closer to a 
rich and poor society with the middle income disappearing, I plead with 
all of us, and the President, to address this problem.

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