Congresswoman Lee Commends the House Budget Committee’s Hearing on Poverty in America
Washington, D.C. – Today, following the House Budget Committee’s Poverty in America: Economic Realities of Struggling Families hearing with the Poor People’s Campaign, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Member of the Budget Committee and Chair of the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity, released the following statement:
“Today’s hearing is not only timely, but necessary. According to the Poor People’s Moral Budget: Everybody Has the Right to Live, more than 140 million Americans are poor or are one emergency away from being poor.
“As Dr. King reminded us, “budgets are a moral document,” and the epidemic of poverty in America is not only a budgetary crisis, it is also a moral crisis that we must address.
“For communities of color, the number of those living in poverty is even more stark. Nationwide, African Americans experience poverty at more than double the rates of their white counterparts.
“Seeing the disproportionate effect that poverty has on communities of color, it is clear to me that we must go to the root and repair the damage that began with the institution of slavery continued through segregation and Jim Crow, and lives in systemic and institutional racism today.
“I am committed to continuing the fight to eradicate poverty through investments in education, job training, raising the minimum wage, supporting affordable housing, universal healthcare, and expanding and protecting our basic living programs.
“As the Administration continues their attacks on the poor, it is more important than ever that we work with experts like Rev. Dr. William Barber and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis to not only lift people out of poverty, but address the root causes.
“Today’s hearing puts us on a clear path to closing the generational economic gaps for all people of color, especially African Americans, and I look forward to combating this moral crisis in my capacity as a legislator.”
The full hearing can be viewed here.
###