[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 5997-5998]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TO BE POOR IN AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Rangel) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I am thankful for this opportunity. I feel 
so proud to be an American and be in this great country where so many 
Members of Congress have come from families and communities that have 
been poor, without the dreams or hopes that they would ever be in a 
position to serve this great country in the most august legislative 
body in the world.
  I know I have been through more riots than anyone else, coming from 
Harlem and being older than most Members; yet, throughout the world, I 
am so proud that people respect our country because of the 
opportunities we have here.
  Therefore, to all Americans, it has to be painful and embarrassing to 
see on international news or to have our international friends think 
that we are a country that allow young, Black men to be shot down, 
murdered, and killed and that this is supposed to represent America.
  It doesn't really, in my mind, represent our country; it represents 
poverty, but it is so hard for people to believe that the richest 
country in the world could have this cancer of poverty that eats away 
from so many things that we could be doing.
  There were so many dreams and hopes when President Obama came in and 
recognized how much you can accomplish if you have access to education. 
I was among those who recognized that a bum from Lenox Avenue in 
Harlem, being given an opportunity with the GI Bill, can go to New York 
University, go to law school, become a Federal prosecutor, and come 
here in Congress.
  I knew, Mr. Speaker, the President understood the power of being 
exposed to education and what it has done to make America all that she 
is today, but I had no idea of the problems he would face as our 
President, the depth of people who wanted to prevent him from making a 
contribution to our country, the partisanship that exists today, and 
the pain that I feel now when you talk about education, whether or not 
you support traditional public schools or charter schools, when the 
greatest thing that we can do and the obligation we have as Members of 
Congress is to invest in the education of our young people for the 
future of this great country.
  Mr. Speaker, poverty is more than lack of self-esteem. Poverty means 
that there is a degree in the connection between poverty and 
hopelessness, poverty and joblessness, poverty in not being able to 
send your kids to school, poverty in not even knowing how to take care 
of yourself in terms of health. Poverty can cause people not to be able 
to make the contributions that they can make to the country.
  The disparity between the wealthy people that we have in this country 
and those who work hard every day and don't have enough money for 
disposable income, poverty and near in poverty reduces the ability of 
the middle class to have disposable income, to be able to purchase, to 
support jobs through small businesses.
  Poverty is so costly, Mr. Speaker, not only in the prestige, the 
power, and the expectation of our great country; but how much do we pay 
to put poor folks in jail? How much, really, do we pay to subsidize 
earned income tax credits, low-income housing credits, children tax 
credits, subsidies, not because these things don't pay off, but 
subsidies because we don't have programs for them? We have to do 
everything we can. These are costly; but who can deny the return on 
these types of investments?
  The trillions of dollars that we have invested in our defense has 
little or no return, but the investment that we can

[[Page 5998]]

have in people and the talent of our minds can make this country all 
that she can be.
  Let's increase education and decrease poverty.

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