Lee, Hoyer Announce Majority Leader Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity Vice Chairs
Washington, D.C. – Today, Chair Barbara Lee (CA-13) and House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) announced the selection of five Members to serve as Vice Chairs of the Majority Leader Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity for the 117th Congress. The Members selected for the Vice-Chair position are:
- Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), Vice-Chair on Children, Families, and Communities
- Rep. Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Vice-Chair on Urban Poverty
- Rep. Kaiali'i Kahele (HI-02), Vice-Chair on Economic Opportunity, Education, and Workforce Development
- Rep. Joe Neguse (CO-02), Vice-Chair on Housing and Transportation
- Rep. Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01), Vice-Chair on Rural Poverty
“As Chair of the Majority Leader Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity, I am proud to announce our new Vice Chairs, who will bring innovative new ideas that will help us further our task force’s mission of eliminating poverty once and for all,” said Congresswoman Lee. “The COVID-19 pandemic has created a public health and economic crisis, on top of a poverty crisis, that has hit communities of color especially hard. It is unjust and unacceptable that in the richest nation in the world, millions of people are struggling to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. I look forward to continuing my work with Majority Leader Hoyer and our new member Vice Chairs to tackle the structural inequality impacting families and communities across our country.”
“I've been proud to partner with Chairwoman Barbara Lee to ensure that the House remains focused on combating poverty and creating opportunity for all Americans. The five vice chairs we have selected are Members who are deeply committed to this work and who have a track record of leadership on issues relating to alleviating poverty, reducing disparities, promoting equity in access to opportunities, and securing justice for those who are economically disadvantaged. I look forward to working closely with them and with Chairwoman Lee to continue the Task Force's efforts in the 117th Congress,” said Majority Leader Hoyer.
“I’m grateful to Chairwoman Lee and Majority Leader Hoyer, co-chairs of the Taskforce on Poverty and Opportunity, for appointing me Vice Chair on Children, Families, and Communities,” said Congresswoman Cori Bush. “It is our duty as representatives in Congress to do the most for everyone we represent, beginning with those who have the least. I will carry my past experience as an unhoused mother, raising two babies out of our car into this Task Force every day. Poverty is a policy choice, and together we will fight for a future where our families and children have what they need to live a good and joyous life.”
“It is a privilege to serve once again as the Vice Chair on Urban Poverty for the Majority Leader’s Poverty Task Force. I’m looking forward to working with the new and returning Chair and Vice Chairs to address one of our nation’s most pressing issues—poverty,” said Congresswoman Garcia. “Many folks in my district, and around the country, were living paycheck-to-paycheck before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Unfortunately, this unprecedented pandemic has worsened many people’s living conditions and has exacerbated existing poverty and inequality in our communities. This is unacceptable. I will continue using my role on this important task force working to end poverty for families who deserve a better quality of life.”
“I am honored to join the Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity as the Vice-Chair on Economic Opportunity, Education, and Workforce Development,” said Congressman Kaiali i Kahele. “The tragic economic toll of COVID-19 leaves our Nation in crises. I look forward to working with Chair Barbara Lee and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to find solutions that will lift our most vulnerable communities, particularly rural areas of America, out of poverty and ensure more equitable access to the resources and support they need.”
“I’m honored to serve another term on the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity as the Vice Chair on Housing and Transportation, both issues that are incredibly important to Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District,” said Congressman Neguse. “As our communities expand, and the economy changes, many constituents in my district find it more and more difficult to live where they work. Therefore, it is essential that we fully invest in affordable housing options and infrastructure that meets the needs of our mountain communities and our growing city centers. I look forward to working with the Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity to enact common-sense legislation that invests in our communities and provides opportunity for individuals across Colorado and across our country.”
“Larger than many states, Arizona’s First Congressional District is one of the most rural in the nation, and families in our district face higher rates of poverty, food insecurity, health care disparities, lack of quality education, and more, compounded by the very geography of their hometowns. And while rural America continues to provide for urban America, the hardworking folks growing our nation’s crops, tending to our livestock, and more, have been put on the backburner again and again,” said Congressman O’Halleran. “This Congress, I’m humbled to serve as the Vice-Chair for Rural Poverty and to have the opportunity to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisles to identify commonsense solutions that uplift the rural families that need them most.”
Launched in 2013, the Majority Leader Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity works to raise awareness of Members of Congress and the American people about the ongoing crisis of poverty, the positive human and economic impacts of effective poverty alleviation programs, and the need for a comprehensive national effort to eradicate poverty. The Task Force, with 100 members, consults with key stakeholders to develop support for strategies to eradicate poverty and build opposition to proposed cuts to anti-poverty programs by Congressional Republicans.