[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11676]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       IMPACT OF CUTS ON POVERTY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Carson) for 2 minutes.
  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, it is very easy for some Members 
of Congress to blindly advocate across-the-board cuts to our 
investments in people. But I join those today to ask my colleagues to 
open their eyes to what these cuts really mean. They aren't abstract 
numbers. For the many people living in poverty, they mean lives 
irreparably damaged and critical opportunities lost.
  My home State, the great Hoosier State of Indiana, suffers from an 
average unemployment rate of 10 percent. Among veterans, that number is 
higher. And for wounded vets and others with physical limitations, the 
numbers are staggeringly higher.
  As a result of these economic times, Mr. Speaker, more families live 
in poverty and rely critically on your and my help. Valuable health 
care, education, housing, and job-training programs are necessary to 
provide them with the tools for survival.
  At this time, Mr. Speaker, when most of our communities are 
struggling to recover, we must not turn our backs on the people who are 
trying to overcome extreme poverty.
  I ask my colleagues to remember these vulnerable Americans. They're 
not burdens. They're our children, our working mothers, our police 
officers, our firefighters, our neighbors, our vets. They are our 
fellow Americans.

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