Barbara Lee, Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus Speak Out Against Cuts to Vital Human Needs Programs
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), Founding Co-Chair of the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus (COPC), Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, and eight Members of the COPC spoke on the impact of debt reduction plans on vital human needs programs for low income communities. Congresswoman Lee highlighted the importance of preserving Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security as well as the need to pass H.R. 589 to extend unemployment benefits for those who have exhausted their eligibility. The following are excerpts of Congresswoman Lee’s statement:
“My colleagues and I are here on the floor to remind every Member that it was not American families, or the working poor, or sick or hungry children that forced Congress to run a deficit. And it was definitely not America’s seniors on Social Security or Medicare or people on Medicaid that forced Republicans to turn the first budget surplus in decades into record deficits.
“The American people are willing to work hard and pay their fair share, but they should not be asked to fill a hole that they did not dig.
“The Republicans need to do more to help struggling Americans, not cut the vital programs that help them survive day in and day out.
“As we move our nation forward, addressing its fiscal challenges, we cannot balance the budget on the backs the most vulnerable. We must protect vital safety net programs that help those facing or living in poverty survive and provide them with pathways out of poverty.”
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