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




                           THE WAR ON POVERTY

  (Mr. YARMUTH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago today President Johnson 
launched the war on poverty, giving rise to some of the most successful 
antipoverty programs in our history, including Medicare, Medicaid, food 
assistance, and Head Start.
  Five decades later, eradicating poverty remains a moral imperative. 
It encompasses health and well-being, education, employment, and access 
to opportunity.
  We have made progress. In 1967, nearly 26 percent of Americans lived 
in poverty. Today that number is 16 percent. Programs such as the 
Earned Income Tax Credit, which gives working Americans a ladder into 
the middle class, have helped us make that progress.
  Today, in Congress, our commitment to ending poverty is in question. 
Because of Republican opposition, more than 18,000 Kentuckians and 1.3 
million Americans are without a critical safety net as they continue to 
search for work. As a result, our economy lost $400 million last week 
alone.
  Unemployment insurance is one of the most effective ways to 
transition those who lost jobs back into the workforce. In 2012, it 
helped 2.5 million Americans work their way out of poverty.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues today to recommit themselves to 
eradicating poverty and support an immediate extension of unemployment 
insurance.

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