[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12329]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           POVERTY IN AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE. I rise today as a founding cochair of the 39-Member Out of 
Poverty Caucus to talk about the millions of people living in poverty 
in America.
  Nearly 45 million Americans live in poverty, and one in five children 
are growing up in poverty. The recession may be over for big 
corporations and the superrich, but for far too many Americans the 
recession is actually a depression.
  Yesterday, the Out of Poverty Caucus held a press conference with 
organizations working on the front lines with low-income and poor 
people. We heard stories of more homelessness, long lines at food 
pantries, and the desperation felt by so many. Our Nation's 
unemployment rate remains at an unacceptably high 9.2 percent. Millions 
of Americans who have lost their jobs are finding it harder and harder 
to find a new one. These new ranks of the long-term unemployed and 
their families are facing the stark reality of life in poverty for the 
first time.
  The ongoing impact of the recession on struggling families and those 
facing or living in poverty simply must not be ignored. But instead of 
working to improve the lives of millions of Americans in poverty, the 
Republican Party continues their drive to plunge our Nation into 
default and our economy over the brink.
  Speaker Boehner has unveiled yet another Republican plan that fails 
to do what America needs. His plan fails to end the threat of default. 
His plan targets the programs aimed at America's most vulnerable--our 
seniors, our children, and our low-income families--for more draconian 
cuts.
  Trying to balance the budget on the backs of the poor is morally 
wrong.

                              {time}  1100

  We need a balanced approach that balances targeted cuts with the 
revenue that we need. We must make sure that we can pay the benefits 
that we owe to our seniors, protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social 
Security, and safeguard our most vulnerable communities.
  Mr. Speaker, while the Nation's unemployment level remains 
unacceptably high, for some minority communities it was double digits 
even before the recession began. The unemployment rate for African 
Americans today is recorded at 16.2 percent and Latinos recorded at 
11.2 percent. And what many of us have known for a long, long time now, 
African Americans and Latinos have lost 18 to 20 times their net worth, 
more so than white Americans due to structural inequalities where race 
is a factor. These numbers are horrific and speak to the larger crisis 
facing our Nation, the jobs crisis.
  Let me share the story of one American who is looking for a job. 
Reverend David was laid off from his job as the successful director of 
a faith-based nonprofit that served the disadvantaged and worked to put 
people on a path to self-sufficiency. Now he is relying on the very 
safety net programs that he used to connect others to. He diligently 
job hunts week after week. David and his wife rely on unemployment 
benefits to make ends meet, and he is worried about what he will do 
when he reaches the 99-week limit of those benefits.
  Reverend David is not alone. Forty-five million Americans worry about 
where they will sleep at night, if their children will eat, what will 
happen if they need medical attention, and when will they secure a 
living-wage job.
  We must work together to help the millions of Americans who are still 
struggling to recover from the Great Recession.
  As the first order of business, I call on the Speaker to bring my 
legislation, H.R. 589, to the floor for an up-or-down vote immediately. 
It would add 14 weeks of retroactive emergency unemployment benefits to 
those long-term unemployed known as 99ers who continue to face 
uncertainty and hardships. Passing this extension will stimulate our 
economy, not to mention that it is our moral responsibility to help 
those in need.
  But people really want to work. Instead of creating jobs, Republicans 
are holding our economy hostage, putting forth policies that will 
create more unemployment and more job loss. Instead of quickly passing 
a clean debt ceiling vote, the Republicans are marching lockstep to 
create this default.
  Instead of supporting the vital human needs programs that will 
protect our most vulnerable, Republicans are trying to balance the 
budget on the backs of the poor while maintaining these tax cuts for 
millionaires and billionaires and Big Oil.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no more time for these Republican games. The 
American people expect us to put partisanship aside to protect our 
economy and create jobs. The American Dream has been a nightmare for 
the 45 million living in poverty, and is turning quickly into a 
nightmare for millions who are falling from middle income into the 
ranks of the poor.
  The bill put forth today by Republicans guarantees this tragic 
outcome.

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