Barbara Lee Vows to Continue to Push for Poverty Legislation As Black Caucus Convenes National Town Hall on Poverty
(Washington, DC) – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) vowed that she will continue to push for legislation to address the growing issue of poverty in the United States, as Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton addressed the Congressional Black Caucus National Town Hall Meeting on poverty as part of the CBC Annual Legislative Conference.
“We must demand that the President demonstrate that he will not continue to ignore the issue of poverty,” said Lee. “But we must also make sure that that Congress stops turning a blind eye to poverty as well.”
Today, Lee announced that she will introduce legislation that will require Congress to report on the poverty impact of its legislative activities.
Lee has been outspoken in calling attention to the issues of poverty and race that contributed to the tragedy in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Last week she introduced legislation calling on President Bush to develop a plan to eradicate poverty in the United States.
“We have all seen the devastating impact that turning a blind eye to poverty has caused, and it is clear that we cannot afford to continue to look away,” said Lee. “We cannot proceed blindly, hoping that Congress’ actions aren’t hurting people, we need to know exactly what the poverty impact of our actions will be.”
###