Congresswoman Lee Sends Letter to President Obama Calling for Executive Action on Poverty
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA13), chair of the Democratic Whip Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality, Opportunity, and 29 other Members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama applauding the administration’s efforts to address economic inequality and providing the administration with “a series of strategic agency directives, in the absence of coordinated legislative action by Congress to address poverty in America.”
“House Republicans continue to block legislative efforts to create good-paying jobs while pursuing draconian cuts to the social safety net. The President can play a key role in helping businesses create jobs that lift people out of poverty and in addressing the root causes of persistent poverty in our country,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “The President has shown clear leadership in tackling issues that House Republicans continue to block. My colleagues and I stand ready to join the President is pursuing proven solutions to provide pathways to the middle class and address the systemic causes of poverty for the 46.5 million Americans still struggling to make ends meet.”
In the letter, the Representatives outlined executive actions including: jobs and employment, inter-agency coordination, criminal justice reform and re-entry, education and youth development, housing and financial services, and hunger and food security.
The Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer’s Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality, and Opportunity consists of nearly 100 Democratic Members of Congress. The Task Force’s mission is to build support for a comprehensive national strategy to help eliminate poverty, grow the economy and create millions of new jobs for our most vulnerable and low income Americans.
A copy of the letter can be found here.