[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 131]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        AMERICA'S WAR ON POVERTY

  (Mr. SOUTHERLAND asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SOUTHERLAND. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 50th anniversary of 
America's war on poverty. While this war may have been launched with 
the best of intentions, it is clear we are engaged in a battle of 
attrition that has left more Americans in poverty than at any point in 
America's history by number.
  That fact is staggering, considering the $15 trillion and counting 
that has been spent on fighting this War on Poverty. The status quo 
simply isn't working. In fact, it is hurting many, many vulnerable 
families.
  We have a moral obligation to do better for the people of Florida's 
Second Congressional District and across this great Nation, and for the 
46.5 million Americans overall who are living in poverty.
  As chairman of the Republican Study Committee's Anti-Poverty 
Initiative, I look forward to working on things going forward, on new, 
forward-thinking solutions that do several things: strengthen two-
parent families; improve effective educational opportunities; create 
long-lasting job growth, producing fulfilling careers; and restore 
people's God-given opportunity for earned success.

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