[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8013]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        POVERTY AND FARM WORKERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, as the cofounder of the 
Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus, I rise today to continue talking 
about the crisis of rising poverty devastating families in every single 
congressional district all across our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I also rise today to recognize Linda Lee and Geraldine 
Matthew. These two extraordinary women are among a group of farmworkers 
who spent their lives working in the swampy fields bordering Lake 
Apopka in Florida. Their backbreaking work helped to provide the bulk 
of the winter season produce on the eastern seaboard.
  In the early 1990s, a settlement was negotiated with the large 
farming corporations where 20,000 acres of land were sold for roughly 
$100 million. A negligible amount of 200,000 was allocated for the 
2,500 farmworkers, and most were simply given pink slips, despite 
decades of service on the farm.
  For years, these workers were exposed to a chemical mixture of 
carcinogens and other contaminants as planes crop-dusted the fields. 
Now these workers are suffering from an array of diseases that have 
been linked to long-term pesticide exposure. Their children suffer from 
defects cause by prenatal exposure to harmful contaminants.
  These women have worked for over a decade to bring attention to their 
cause, while many of their former colleagues, unfortunately, have 
passed away. Although these women are desperately seeking some relief 
and good health, what they ask for more than anything else is their 
dignity. Dignity is the contribution of their community to feeding this 
Nation and the sacrifices they made in doing so.
  I would, therefore, offer my profound and earnest gratitude to these 
incredible women, to their community, and to farmworkers across the 
country, for theirs truly are the hands that feed us. Mr. Speaker, now 
more than ever, we need to redouble our efforts to reward hard work. We 
must work to be sure that Americans who work all of their lives have 
something to show for it.
  This does not just affect Linda Lee or Geraldine Matthew. We cannot 
ignore the fact that millions of Americans have seen their retirement 
savings decimated, their pensions shortchanged, and their wages 
stagnant or falling.
  Even in the face of a rising tide of poverty and an economy with high 
unemployment, the Tea Party-led Republicans continue their efforts to 
slash programs which protect the health and well-being of millions of 
low-income and working poor families.
  In the coming weeks and months, we will begin to see the impact of 
the, quite frankly, immoral cuts to vital unemployment benefit 
extensions as thousands of people, thousands of people across our 
country who are struggling to find a job will be thrown off of 
unemployment benefits, thrown off, kicked off the rolls.
  Some of them may be lucky enough to find work, but far too many will 
be suddenly cut off with nearly nothing, nothing to keep them from 
falling behind into poverty. They will have been left out and left 
behind.
  We may disagree on how to help families in need and workers who are 
struggling find work access needed health services or feed their 
children, but we can all agree that leaving struggling families 
completely cut off of unemployment insurance with nowhere to turn for 
help is not the American way.
  When Republican politicians protect tax cuts for millionaires, we 
must be very adamant about protecting the working poor. When Tea Party 
Republicans fight to protect tax writeoffs for corporations and Big 
Oil, we must fight to protect hardworking Americans.
  When Republican Tea Party members continued to expend their energy 
protecting the dividend gains on investments, we must fight to protect 
Linda Lee and Geraldine Matthew, women who have worked their entire 
lives and are left with nothing to show for it.
  Mr. Speaker, unfortunately there are some who continue to support 
policies for the 1 percent where profits, rather than people, matter. 
We need a jobs bill for those who are desperately in need of a job, and 
we need to help with their support for themselves and their families. 
So we do need a strong safety net to act as a bridge over these 
troubled economic times. It's critical to reaffirm that the needs and 
the aspirations of the poor and the working poor are really important 
and critical for us to address where they too are aspiring to be part 
of the middle class.
  I want to thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee for her support because I 
know she cares about Linda Lee and Geraldine Matthew and all of the 
issues that she continues to fight for.

                          ____________________